The Serpent and the Maiden Fair
by athrun10
Summary: After stumbling into a portal, Avery Brown finds herself in Meridian. She then finds out that Elyon Brown wasn't her real sister but the princess of the land, aside from that she also learns that she was betrothed to Elyon's older brother Phobos but her heart falls for Cedric. (I suck at summaries, please check the extended one I added/ Rated T for Violence)
1. Summary

A/N: So I decided to ditch the other story I made earlier this month and made another one. I hope you guys will love it. Please leave reviews after, I would like to know your opinions. Thanks. P.S. This page is for the extended summary and sorry for the crappy cover photo.

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own W.I.T.C.H, this is just a fan made story.

* * *

 **Summary**

Curious about the sudden disappearance of her family and boyfriend, Avery Brown started investigating. She starts looking at her boyfriend's ancestral home "Villa Ludmoore" and accidentally stumbles into a portal. She then finds herself stranded in the dark land called Meridian where she finds out that Elyon was the Princess of the place that she was not her sister. She also finds out that she was already promised to Elyon's older brother Phobos.

As she suspects that Phobos was behind the disappearance of her parents and Cedric, she'll turn to the WITCH girls for help. However the final battle will leave her choosing between love (Cedric) and duty (Phobos).


	2. Chapter 1: Anonymous

**_The Serpent and the Maiden Fair Chapter 1_**

* * *

 _Thirteen years ago, West Nubar* Castle_

 _The screams and grunts of the Queen were heard all over the castle. She was now on the process of giving birth yet she decided to stay in the von Heinrich's castle instead of the Royal Palace. They were in the middle of war (she and her husband went into hiding as they were being hunted by his son's followers) and her son Phobos successfully usurped the throne and as what her visions of the future have predicted, she will die tonight, after childbirth with her husband and the von Heinrich household. Their only hope right now is the baby that she is carrying; the rightful heir to the Meridian throne. After another painful scream she sighed as she heard the loud cries of her new born baby. Too bad she won't be able to raise her yet how can she? After a few moments she'll die. She inhaled deeply, pain was all over her body and her lower half was covered with blood._

 _"Your majesty, it's a girl." The physician said while offering the baby to her. She glanced at the beautiful baby she just gave birth to, she was tempted to take her and cradle her in her arms but she pushed it away instead._

 _"Take her away." She said and turned her head away. Her friend Lady Agatha von Heinrich looked at her confused, as well as the physician and her handmaidens who were with her. "Take her. I- I can't bear to look at her after all of this." She cried. It was hard and painful and it crushed her heart as she can't bear to look at her daughter; her beloved daughter, her only hope and the future light of Meridian._

 _"But your highness..." Agatha said. Weira shook her head, her eyes filled with tears, she can't do it, she can't say goodbye to her daughter. Without any more questions, Lady Agatha went outside with her baby with the physicians and handmaidens, she was tempted to stop them and take the baby to hug and kiss her. She then turned to the other two people with her in the room; the captain of the guards. They bowed towards her before moving closer to the bed she is in._

 _"A-alborn, M-Miriadel. I give you the responsibility of protecting my daughter. B-bring her to a place where Phobos can't reach her." She reached the magical seal from her pocket and put it on the hands of Miriadel, who was also sobbing while kneeling in front of her. "Treat her as your child, and when the time comes, tell her the truth. She must save Meridian from her brother." She said in between pants. The two nodded and was about to go out when she grabbed Miriadel's arm._

 _"Take Avery with you. Take this to wipe her memory. She mustn't stay here; I don't want her to suffer at my son's hands. She must find a man worthy of her love." She said and gave them another vial that contains the Leryn solution, a potion used by their ancestor to wipe memories; it was for her goddaughter Avery, the girl who was promised to his son. With another nod, Miriadel and Alborn were gone and she was left sobbing and she blamed herself for the downfall of Meridian._

 _It was her fault that the kingdom was lost, she was the light of the country, the heart, the most powerful being yet she was not able to protect it._

 _She then heard a loud noise outside and the door sprang open, revealing her son Phobos, he was still eighteen years old yet he now looks like in his late twenties, it was because he discovered that he had the ability to drain the life force of others and convert it to power, after he usurped the throne, he started draining the life force of the nearby town thus he was able to make himself age a bit. If it wasn't for his long straw hair and familiar emerald eyes, she would think that it was a different person standing in front of her and not her firstborn._

 _"S-son." She said as soon as she saw him. She managed to crook a small smile at him._

 _"Queen Mother." He replied, his expression was dark. He was looking at her, the kindness on his eyes were now gone and were replaced with hatred and disgust. "Where is my sister!?" He demanded as he stepped closer towards the bed._

 _"She's gone with Avery. They'll be in a place out of your reach. You'll never find them." She struggled to say. She knew that taking Avery away was a bad move; the girl was Phobos' only hope to redemption. There was no one Phobos ever adored or loved more than her. Yet she was unsure if keeping Avery in Meridian would really save her son from evil, so she decided to send her away, far from the clutches of her son, so that she can be safe and can find a man who will love her._

 _"You took Avery too? Where is she? I demand you tell me!" He angrily said; the hatred on his eyes was replaced with pain. She reached for his hand but he shook it away; her breathing rugged. Her time was now near. She'll die in a matter of seconds but she wanted to apologize to him. For making him suffer the path of the Escanor men, the path where they could never name themselves kings as the throne was only meant for the female members._

 _"I'm. Sorry. I. Love. You." She said before everything went dark._

* * *

 _Present day, Heatherfield..._

Avery had that dream again.

She was sitting on the throne and was enclosed by blood red roses and vines. She struggled as the vines slowly surrounded her hand to keep her in place. On the foot of the throne, she saw a lot of people, no, they were monsters, and they were smiling at her. She looked at her side and she saw Elyon, sitting on the same throne, surrounded by dark veins. She₃ was glowing but was shrieking in pain. She tried to struggle again to break free from the vines and help her sister but she can't. Tears fell from her eyes. It was hopeless, she can't free herself.

She shouted for help but the monster people were just laughing. Then she saw them again, two men who always invade her dreams;the two men without faces. They were standing in front of her, they both have long hair except that the one had a long blonde hair tied in a ponytail and the other had a long straw-blonde hair. She can hear the man with straw blonde hair laughing but the other man, he was wiping her tears! She tried to pull away to avoid his touch but something felt so familiar about him.

Then a blinding light suddenly came out of Elyon's throne. She called her sister, trying to ask her₃ if she₃ was okay but Elyon wasn't answering, after a few seconds the light died out and Elyon wasn't there. A black rose sat on top of the throne. Avery gasped.

"No!" She wailed as she witness the horrifying scene.

"All hail Queen Avery." The straw blonde man said before placing a crown, it was the same crown as Elyon, on her head then she felt a tingling sensation all throughout her body, her long blonde locks were replaced with pastel blue, shiny scales started growing on her arms and a tail came out of her legs. A girl with short blonde hair without a face then drew a mirror in front of her; her eyes widen when she saw her reflection. She was glowing or somewhat emitting light like bioluminiscent fishes. She shook her head. This wasn't happening. This isn't real. It was only a nightmare. She needs to wake up from it.

"No!" She screamed as she woke up from her nightmare. She was panting; her nightgown was wet with perspiration, her knuckles white as they clutched the blanket tightly. Her chest rose and fell as she caught her breath. It was the dream again. The nightmare she had been dreaming after her seventeenth birthday but what does it mean? She saw the two men again, for some reasons they look really familiar and they have been hunting her dreams since she was young, yet she can't remember meeting them.

The alarm clock rang making her return to reality. She sighed, whatever it was, it was just a dream and how come it will happen? Firstly, she wasn't a princess and then the medieval period is over. She quickly rose from her bed and went to the bathroom to take a shower. Hopefully she will forget about the dream, she just needs to keep herself busy.

After taking a bath, she quickly put on a simple attire, a teal t-shirt, black pants and sneakers. She looked at the mirror and started combing her hair. For some reasons, she found it hard to believe that she was related to her parents. Her mother had a red hair and blue eyes, while her father had brown hair and brown eyes; her sister Elyon had a straw blonde hair and blue eyes like their mother's.

Elyon's features are also kind of different but then they might have far relatives with straw blonde hair but in her case it was weird. She had a long silver blonde hair and her eyes; it was colored violet; which was weird considering that her parents claimed that they were a native of Heatherfield. Violet eyes are a rare case and usually people who live in cold areas or Albinos have that kind of eyes. Yet she wasn't from those areas or an Albino. She always asked then if she was adopted then they will flash a positive DNA test in front of her but still she wasn't convinced. There was really something fishy about it like her parents have a secret.

She quickly went down stairs to find her parents and sister already at the dining table. She smiled at them and sat down besides Elyon. She ate silently while her sister was talking to their parents about what happened to school, about Cornelia and etc. Sometimes these kinds of discussions annoys her but she tried to maximize her patience as she was the older one, she should be more understanding of her sister, besides she was also like that when she was young. _Perhaps._ That was another thing that's weird. She can't remember anything from her childhood.

She asked her mother and father but they said that she fell from the stairs causing her to have an amnesia but amnesia was supposed to be on a shorter length of time. Then why can't she still remember anything? Everything was just confusing her. She chose to shove away the thoughts from her mind. She knows that it wasn't healthy to doubt her parents. If she may be adopted then she should be thankful that she found wonderful and understanding parents who raised her, yet a part of her yearns to know where she came from and who her birth parents are.

After finishing her breakfast, she quickly went back to her room to get her backpack and followed Elyon outside. It was another day at school and she had an upcoming exam, which was enough to keep her busy from thinking about weird thoughts and dreams. Elyon on the other hand seems no to mind these unusual things about them or she was just naïve. Well, Elyon was still 14 so she can't really blame her. As they were about to go out of their gate, a car stopped in front of their house.

"Hop in!" The window on the driver's seat opened and revealed a guy with blue hair. Peter Cook and on his side was Matt Olsen, her best friends, they were both smiling at her. She smiled and opened the backseat and signalled her sister to go inside. On the corner of her eyes, she saw Elyon blush; she then remembered that Matt was Elyon's crush.

"Hi Elyon. Hi Ave (Eve)." Matt greeted the two of them, Elyon was froze on the door and just looked at Matt, and her cheeks formed a faint blush. She sighed and playfully pushed her sister inside and followed, locking the door behind her and putting on her seat belt.

"Hey Pete, hey Matty boy!" She said as soon as she was done. Peter just gave her a playful salute while Matt turned his back on her, frowning.

"Stop calling me Matty boy." He said, she and Elyon giggled. He was cute when he is pissed and frowning, this was the reason why he was considered one of the handsome students in Sheffield Institute, aside from that he was famous for being the lead singer of the band, Wreck55. He was good looking and talented, yet she does not feel anything for him or maybe it was familiarity that came first. They were friends since she they were twelve years old and she just likes Matt as a brother.

Peter on the other hand was a new guy, he just moved in Heatherfield a year ago with his family and sister Taranee, who was also Elyon's friend. Peter was one of the cool guys, has a nicely built body and was athletic, yet she also does not feel something special about him. She just treats him as a friend but then she was knowledgeable that the two guys in front of her have feelings for her.

Not that she was speculating but then the two have confessed their feelings for her, which she gently declined, saying that she only _love_ them as brothers and that she does not have romantic feelings towards them. The two seem to have respected her words and didn't bother her anymore and were trying their best to act as normal as before. She knew that because of this many girls in Sheffield are jealous of her; she had the two famous men in school wrapped around her fingers.

"What's your plan later Ave?" Peter asked; he was glancing at her through the rear view mirror.

"Uhmm. We'll have a slumber party at the new girl's house, you know Will right? Mom said to that I need to go with my _younger sister._ " She said, remembering her mother's request last night. Although she does not really want to go as she was three years older than her sister and her friends, she still finds their company fun and cool, so she said yes. She likes hanging on with the funny kid, Irma and the jolly one Hay Lin. Aside from that she is not really that close with others aside from Cornelia maybe.

She considers Cornelia as a younger sister as Corny often stays at their house whenever her parents and sister were out of town. Although they often get into argument as they were both oldest children and sometimes she teases her with boys and secrets she gets from eavesdropping, not that she does that often but it was fun, she still likes her.

"Aw. Too bad, Wreck will have a practice at Matt's garage, was hoping that you could come. You know." Peter said while scratching his head. She would love to go but then hanging out with boys and you are the only female is not really that fun but that then that was the reason why the cool guys hang with her, she was not a typical girly girl. She was almost boyish. She likes men stuff and does not really care about fashion at all, she wears whatever clothes she picks and does not care if it looks good on her or not. Her choice of music is also different, she likes Wreck's songs which are mostly rock.

"Next time maybe." She said before slipping out of the car, they were now in Sheffield. Elyon waved goodbye as soon as she saw her friends but before running off she gave a flirty smile at Matt, which caused Avery to giggle. Matt on the other hand seemed not to notice. The three of them were at the same class so she and Matt, waited for Peter to finish parking before entering the school.

The day passed quickly and she now found herself inside the Vandom's house, sitting next to Irma and Hay Lin. They were all in their sleeping clothes and they just finished eating dinner when Will distributed some kind of paper. She was staring weirdly at it having the same expression as the other girls.

"Will, when you invited us to the party, you didn't mention a pop quiz." Irma shrugged, who somewhat read what she was thinking as she was also about to say that.

"Yeah. We are supposed to watch videos or braid each other's hair." Hay Lin added. She chuckled. The complaints were almost childish but then she found the quiz interesting and started answering some. Will on the other hand was on her feet and circling the living room, thinking deeply, like she was having some sort of problem.

"And telling me how many boys like me!" Cornelia then exclaimed and gave out a dreamy sigh.

"What are best friends for?" Elyon added nudging Cornelia's shoulder and the two then giggled. She smirked. Cornelia was on it again but she was used to it as Cornelia often comes to their house and her talk was always about herself and boys.

"Here comes conceited Corny." She whispered to Irma but then it was loud enough that everyone heard it making them all laugh. Cornelia glared at her but she just stuck her tongue out like a kid. Then Will stopped walking, her face was a mixture of worry and a little bit of fear.

"Well, I sort of kind of volunteered to be in charge of this year's spring carnival." Will then exclaimed; gaining a chorused "What" from the other girls including Avery.

"Do you know how much work that is?" Taranee asked, her forehead was furrowed. Will sighed and sat down besides Hay Lin who was looking at Will, having the same expression as the others.

"That's why I also signed you guys up to!" She₁ added trying to be cheerful. Irma jumped from the sofa.

"We have been sleep over jacked!" Irma exclaimed, Avery nodded, she was busy with her projects for the following days and there was no way she'll help in the spring carnival.

"Time to go." She stood up and rolled her sleeping bag, the others followed while muttering their disappointment.

"Principal Knickerbocker said that all the cool kids do it." Will said, trying to stop them from leaving. She was now standing on the sofa, her hands spread wide, and she almost looks funny.

"The same Knickerbocker who wraps the morning announcement?" Avery asked. Will nodded. "Sorry not sorry but I'm busy with school work. You can take my sister instead." She said pushing Elyon in front of Will.

"Hey!" Elyon grouched at her. She just snickered.

"Okay fine. I know that I'm lame but I need a carnival theme by tomorrow." Will said. Before anyone else could express their disdain, the doorbell rang followed by a "Pizza!" shout from someone outside.

"At least she ordered food." Hay Lin expressed her expression lightened at the mention of food; Will went to the door, saying that she didn't order pizza collecting confused looks from others.

"Or maybe my mom ordered a-nerd." She₁ said as soon as she opened the door, standing outside was Martin Tubbs, the school photographer and a nerd who has a big crush on Irma. He was wearing a blue pj's and some bunny slippers on.

"I'll be your official party crasher; I brought pizza and my favourite board game." He announced as he entered the house, his bunny slippers squeaking while he walks. On his left hand was a pepperoni pizza and on the other was some kind of medieval age's board game; he then handed it to Irma, who looked at the items suspiciously.

"Martin, get your bunny slippers out of here!" Irma and the others glared at him. A flash of light then caught them by surprise. Martin was holding a camera and took a photo without their permission.

"Wait until the guys see this!" Martin exclaimed while trying to position the camera to take another picture again. Nope. The guys must not see it and won't see it. She won't let that happen. She doesn't want people to ogle at her almost racy form. She was wearing a night gown that hang above her knees, showing her long flawless legs and she wasn't wearing any bra for some sort.

"Let me handle it." She said and stretched her arms. She stood in front of Martin, her arms crossed, her expression was dark. "You know, I don't like guys crashing a female slumber party." She said before dragging Martin out of the room and taking his camera from him. She threw him outside and immediately locked the door. The other girls gave out a sigh of relief after that.

"He sure does like you a lot." She whispered to Irma who scowled at her. She just laughed and went to the table to open the pizza and grabbed one slice. The others gathered around the table, taking one slice each while Will was checking out the board game.

"Knights and Knaves?" Will's forehead crumpled as she read the name of the game.

"You know. Games that dweebs play." Irma mumbled as she bit into the pizza. Will's face seem to brighten, like an idea struck her head.

"And they are about to play it in the school parking lot!" Will excitingly said.

* * *

 _Present day Meridian..._

The artist sat down on the chair and started hitting the brush against the blank portrait; he does not have any idea what kind of painting he would do. He glanced up at the wall full of paintings, most were the faces of the prince while some were paintings of places in Meridian, others are paintings of weird monsters and creatures in Meridian like the Naga, _Jorōgumo*_ , other shape shifter and nymphs _._ His eyes caught a portrait on his left. It was a painting of a young girl, whom he estimates was on her teens. She had a long bouncy silver blonde hair and her eyes were piercing violets like those of Lord Cedric's. She was very beautiful. _Is this the Prince's sister?_ He asked himself but it was impossible. The prince's sister was thirteen years younger than the prince, the prince never meet her when she was born and there was no way that the Prince just randomly asked his past painter to paint some random girl and post it in his private gallery. His eyes looked down and saw the label. _Lady Avery von Heinrich._ It says.

He tried to remember who the girl was but then he can't. He knew that the von Heinrich's were one of the most powerful noble houses in Meridian. They were the right hand of Queen Weira during her reign, yet after Prince rose to power; all the members of the von Heinrich household were assassinated for helping the Queen and the Consort escape. He stared at the painting for a long time and he didn't notice that the prince entered the room.

"Hideous. Very hideous." The prince said, he winced as he heard the prince's voice and stared back to his painting. "I like it." The prince then added and he sighed in relief. The prince slowly walked towards a big painting showing the town and inspected it. His eyes were now glued on the man sitting on the stairs of a house, who seem to be crying or something.

"I detest art that is beautiful and firming, it tends to bring hope to the rebellion. The last time my old artist tried painting a cheerful scene. I imprisoned him in his painting for eternity." The prince said pertaining to his last painter. He gulped, then he should focus on some hideous scenes instead but his eyes were caught again at the painting of the beautiful lady and he wasn't able to stop his curiosity.

"S-sire. I-if I may ask who this girl on the painting is?" He asked; his voice was just as loud as a squeak. He was afraid that he might offend the prince and be punished. The prince turned to him, his eyes now fixed at the smiling face of the silver haired girl. The painter swears that he saw pain on the prince's eyes. His heart pumped rapidly while waiting for a reply.

"My betrothed; Lady Avery of house Heinrich; she was only sixteen when they took her." The prince said, there was a hint of sadness in his tone, it seems like he was fond of the girl or maybe in love with her as he was not like this to others. He was famous for his foul temper and vile attitude. Yet this was the first time that he saw the prince, emotional and somewhat vulnerable. Without any more words, the prince quickly went out of the room, leaving the artist alone again. He sighed and went back to work.

* * *

 _*Chapter contains scenes from Season 1 Episode 10: Framed_

*underlined part- _As I really have no idea about Phobos' real age, I based this on a theory from:_ _( journal/TDQ-How-Old-is-Prince-Phobos-461138072)._

 _*West Nubar- I took this name from the T.V series (season 2) and I'm not sure if it was Nobear, Nober or Nubar, sorry._

 _*She₁ - Will. (Will be using some subscripts so that you won't confuse the pronouns)_

 _*She_ ₃- Elyon

 _*_ _Jorōgumo- a Japanese term for a spider who can shape-shift into a seductive woman. Will use this term to label Miranda's shape-shifting ability._

 _So how was it? Will do my best to update soon. :)_


	3. Chapter 2: The Painting

_**The Serpent and the Maiden Fair Chapter 2**_

* * *

 _Cedric looked around first; his serpentine eyes studied his surroundings, trying to find out if there were humans nearby. When he was already sure that he is alone, he transformed into his real form. He roared as his skin bloated and changed, it was painful, he felt that he was electrocuted every time he does that but then he became used to it. When he was done, he then moved to hunt, he choose to do that in the middle of the thick forests of West Nubar as the place was rarely visited by humans. He wants to avoid them as much as possible._

 _Naga shape-shifters have been despised by humans ever since and were hunted down and killed, it was the reason why he was alone. His parents died because of the stupid humans. He hated them as much as he hated living alone. He was just ten years old with no other living relatives; he was forced to live in the depths of the forests just to be safe from the clutches of evil hands._

 _After his parents' death, he had a hard time adjusting, he doesn't know how to hunt for himself and there were a lot of ferocious animals just lurking nearby but when he learned how to transform, he found out that he can easily take down mountain lions or tigers. He learned to communicate with his fellow serpents and they will give him news about the outside world. Everything was nice and peaceful except for the part that he yearns to have a family that will take care of him._

 _He slithered into the forests looking for a place where he can wait for his prey, his mouth watered as he spotted a nice and healthy deer grazing on the meadow. He positioned himself, ready to attack anytime. A scream surprised him and the deer ran away. His frowned and was about to follow it when another scream echoed in the forest again. He realized that it was just near his current location._

 _He started moving to check it out. He found himself near the lake; his eyes darted and saw something glowing in the waters. Without even changing to his human form, he went near to check it out._

 _"_ _Heh-heh, I wonder how much gold the Duke will pay for his daughter's safety." He heard a man say. Cedric silently hid into the bushes while trying to find out what's happening. From his position, he can see two men sitting near the mouth of the lake. They were holding some kind of rope and were connected to the river. No, it wasn't connected to the river._

 _He checked again and learned that the glow in the water was not some sort of light but another human. A girl to be exact. He almost gasped as he saw her, she was very beautiful. Her hair was pastel blue, and her body was covered with glowing scales while her legs, no she had no legs but a tail was located on her lower body. A mermaid? No, mermaids can't be found in fresh water and there were no mermaids in Meridian._

 _"_ _Who would have thought that the Duke married a freak?" He heard the smaller man said to his companion._

 _"_ _It's not a freak you idiot. That's a water nymph, a Naiad to be exact. Only a few exist and the Duchess is one of them. Her daughter is too. Just wait when we take her out of the water." The bigger man told his companion. A water nymph? He remembers his mother telling him a story about water nymphs before, like the Naga's they were hunted down by people because some believed that they were bad luck. Somehow he felt pity for the girl._

 _"_ _Please. Take me back to my parents." He winced as he heard the girl's voice. Judging by her appearance, she was only seven or eight years old. The men just laughed at her._

 _"_ _Silence! We won't harm you. We just need your parents to pay us money first." The bigger man said and he started pulling the string that is tied on the girl's feet. Cedric saw the water splashing as the girl was struggling to break free but it was no use as the rope was tied tightly on her leg. The man continued to pull her until she was now out of the water. Her appearance changed and the scales earlier were now gone and was replaced by a normal body of a child. Her blue hair was replaced with silver blonde. She was shaking but not from cold, but because of fear. He started to feel disgust to the men that took her._

 _He somewhat felt a strong connection to her with the fact that they were both despised by the other humans. He wants to help her but then he was a small child just like her, well, in his human form, yes but he was in his Naga form so he can easily scare or take down the men around her. He inhaled deeply and studied the situation before attacking._

 _"_ _Who would have thought that you are a beauty out of the water?" The smaller man said while touching some locks of hair from the girl. Cedric clenched his teeth. How dare this man think about perverted thoughts with a small child? With this he jumped out of his hiding place and roared. It took the two men in surprise._

 _"_ _A Naga!" The smaller man yelled as soon as he saw him. Cedric can feel the vibrations of the smaller man's veins due to fear and how the blood flowed from his body. He can smell his fear. A smirk formed on Cedric's lips._

 _"_ _It's just a child!" The bigger man shouted to his companion but before he can do anything else Cedric jumped towards them, targeting their neck. He wrapped his long tail on the bigger man's body and went to bite his neck, transferring the deadly venom from his system. The other man screamed and without any words ran away. He sighed as he let go of the bigger man, who was now shrieking in pain as the venom flowed throughout his body._

 _In a few minutes, he will die. Cedric glance at the shocked little girl looking at him, he looked for disgust or fear in her eyes but there was none; only worry was registered on her face, which shocked him. Any young girl who would've witness this scene should have passed out in fear but this girl, she was different. He sighed and transformed back into his human form and went near her._

 _"_ _Are you alright?" he asked. The girl seemed to wake up from her thoughts, she looked up and their eyes meet. Violet eyes? It was weird though. It was like he was looking at his own eyes as they have the same color. A smile crept on the girl's face._

 _"_ _T-thank you." She replied. A small blush crept on her pale face. "Beautiful." The girl muttered._

 _"_ _What?" he asked, his forehead cringed at her words. Beautiful? What was beautiful?_

 _"_ _You. In snake form. You are beautiful." The girl said as she reached out to touch his face. He gasped as her cold hand touched his still warm skin. It somewhat sent volts of electricity throughout his body and the sensation was like his transformation, yet this one was gentle and he liked it. She was different, she was special, and she was the first person who called his real form beautiful. He smiled gently and helped her up._

 _"_ _What's your name?" He then asked, out of curiosity. They started walking away the lake, leaving the dead man. His put his guard on, in case the other man will come back to attack them._

 _"_ _Eh-ve-ry." The girl muttered. He raised his eyebrow. Every? "Avery." The girl then repeated. He smiled. The girl seems not to feel cold even if her clothes were wet. Well, as far as he knows Naiads were also like Naga's they were cold blooded._

 _"_ _Where are you from?" he asked again. The girl pointed out to the outskirts of the forest. She was from the town. He stopped on his tracks. No, he can't come with her. People will kill him if he goes there. The girl seems to have noticed; he gasped as she grabbed his hand and ran towards the opening. Without any questions he just followed her._

* * *

Avery watched as Irma was trying to practice her skills in jousting, she had to admit that the girl was talented. She wondered if Irma learned how to do it or she was just born with it. She smiled and waved at her friend who immediately jumped out of the horse and ran towards her.

"Avy!" Irma shouted and tackled her with a hug.

"You act like you haven't seen me in months." She said after Irma let go of her. Irma chuckled and removed the helmet from her head, her hair wet with sweat. She₂ must have been practicing for a long time. "Where are the others?" she added and looked around to check if the others are there.

"They're in the museum, trying to find out some ideas for the theme. Elyon's got the balloons." Irma replied while trying to dry her hair with a towel, she₂ then stopped as soon as she spotted Mr Fordham walking towards them. "Hey Mr Fordham, I'll bring Dusty back right after I win the tournament." Irma said to the teacher.

"Manure." He muttered in his deep and scary voice.

"What? Your saying I can't win because I'm a girl?" Irma replied making Avery chuckle. Mr Fordham shook his head.

"I'm talking about our deal. I'll lend you Dusty, you clean out the stalls." He said and she heard Irma scoffed.

"Don't you have like a poo vacuum cleaner?" Irma asked him again but the professor shook his head and left them.

"Don't worry Irma, I'm free today. So I can help." Avery said, trying to comfort her friend. Well, today, she doesn't really have anything to do. There were no classes because of the carnival and Principal Knickerbocker promised to give extra points to people who will help in the preparations.

"Thanks. You really are an angel Ave." Irma said while leading the way to the stalls. She frowned when they arrived there. The place smells disgusting and the loud neighing of the horses can be heard inside.

"Ugh. Yucky." Irma complained while taking out a broom and dust pan, she₂ handed it to Avery and proceeded to clean the place. Avery just smirked and took a handkerchief from her pocket, she then folded it and wrapped it around her nose are to block the smelly scent coming from the waste.

"You know, I kind of like you more than Elyon and Corny. You're older but you're cool." Irma said while sweeping off the manure from an empty stall. She just smiled. Well, she also likes Irma a lot compared to the others; she₂ was outgoing, funny and always has witty jokes that make her laugh.

"But are you sure you are really related to Elyon? No offense meant but you too look different from each other." This question caught her off guard. She never thought someone would notice it and would ask her.

"I don't know. For some reasons that also bugs me. I mean, Mom and Dad totally look different from us. I always ask them if I'm adopted but they have DNA results, you know." She replied. Irma shrugged and looked down on the ground, thinking hard.

"Is it okay if I ask you something?" Irma said again. Avery raised one of her eyebrows but just smiled at her young friend.

"Sure thing. What's that?" She replied.

"What will you feel, if you know, like your adopted or something?" Irma asked. She sighed. She can't believe she's having this kind of conversation with her friend, let alone someone younger than her. Is her appearance really that different that people think that she is adopted?

"I don't know. Maybe I'll be angry but I supposed I should be thankful that they raised me." She said while looking at Irma who was also staring at her, waiting for the reply to come. The other girl mouthed an "okay" before going back to cleaning. They were halfway through the job when some kind of bad smell, even more disgusting than the manure, came inside the stables.

"Eww! That smells worse than horse poo!" She complained and pinched her nose to prevent it from smelling the bad odor. Irma was staring on the ceiling; there was an eerie expression on her face. "What?" she asked her. Irma winced.

"Uhmm. Ave. Can I go out for a second?" Irma asked, acting weirdly. She just shrugged and nodded. The girl then went outside and the scent was somewhat gone. _Weird._ She thought. She just focused on finishing the last stalls. Irma went back after a short while with a boy in unusual clothes trailing behind her.

"Uhmm. Ave, can I ask you a favour?" Irma asked while trying to take off the armour she was wearing.

"Yeah. What?"

"Can you look out for this guy just for a while? I need to go to Will." Irma replied, while grabbing the arm of the boy and shoving him in front of her. The boy complained but Irma didn't mind it. She looked at him, _typical girl crush_ , she thought; tall, dark, handsome, and muscular, with brown hair and green eyes. In her estimate, the boy was younger than her.

"Avery this is Caleb. Caleb this is Avery, Elyon's big sister." Irma introduced them to one another. She smiled and held out her hand for him.

"It's nice to meet you Caleb." The guy's forehead furrowed while looking at her but then he accepted her hand and shook it.

"Have we met before?" He asked, now it was her forehead that cringed. _Met before?_ I don't even know this man. She shook her head. Irma then hurriedly ran outside the stables.

"Are you new here?" She asked the guy named Caleb. He looked at her, his gaze somewhat pierced her.

"Yes, I'm staying at Hay Lin's." Caleb replied. _Are they related?_ She wants to ask but stopped herself because it was sort of a personal question. But Caleb seemed to have read her mind.

"No. We're not related. I just work there for part time. I came from Meridian." She cocked one of her eyebrows. _Meridian?_ What the hell is that place? "I mean, I'm from another place." He then added. She sighed. Somehow the air was getting awkward; she wanted to scold Irma for leaving her with a new guy she barely even knew. She went back to cleaning.

"So, you are Elyon's sister?" His statement sounded like a question to her.

"Yeah. Is it too obvious?" She asked almost sounding sarcastic. "How did you know my sister?" She then added.

"We'll Cornelia invited her to Will's birthday party where we met." What? Seriously, how many people does this new guy know? Wait, how come he was invited to Will's party when she wasn't invited? She knew that Matt came too. Weird.

"So, you will also play in the joust?" Caleb asked again. Really? Can this guy just shut up?

"Uh. No. I don't even know how to ride a horse." She answered.

"You want me to teach you?" Caleb added. She wanted to say no but then she always wanted to learn how to ride a horse when she was young. She quickly nodded and Caleb smiled and opened a stall, containing a brown horse. He went near it and started caressing its face gently. He signalled her to try, which she did, she fidgeted the moment her hand touched the horse's skin but the horse neighed softly at her, almost liking what she was doing. She started to caress it and it feels strange, it was like her hand was familiar with a horse.

"I think he is ready to let you ride him." Caleb then said, she nodded and went to the back and tried to mount on it. She gasped as Caleb's hands surrounded her waist and lifted her on top of the horse. She sat properly and clutched the reins of the horse tightly, afraid that she might fall. When she was ready she slightly kicked the horse back to signal it to walk. She chuckled as the horse started walking, it was a success! She tamed a horse and rode it!

"Are you sure that this is your first time to ride a horse?" She turned to see Caleb, riding another horse and was following behind.

"Yes! And I feel great!" She yelled and because of her excitement she accidentally kicked the horse again and it ran faster. "Wait. No. No. Stop!" She said while trying to pull the reins but the horse continued to run.

"Avery!" She can hear Caleb calling her. She turned her back on him but she gasped. It wasn't Caleb running after her. It was the man with a blonde hair, the man on her dreams. No! This isn't happening again. She glanced forward and was shocked to see that the horse became white and that she was running on a meadow and not on the school grounds. She looked back again to check and she saw the man, she got a better look and realized that it was a younger version of the blonde man in her dreams; he looks like he was just fourteen years old, his hair was even short.

"Avery! Slow down!" The man called again. She shook her head. She was dreaming! She slapped her face to wake herself up but then the horse started running faster and her clutch loosened. She tried to reach for the reins but she can't. Her heart pounded fast, fear washed through her body and she uttered a small plea for the horse to stop. Then after a few seconds it stopped running.

"Are you alright?" The man caught up with her, his violet eyes were full of concern like those in her dreams.

"No! Don't touch me!" She screamed as she tried to avoid his hand, his forehead cringed, and then she felt a soft tap on her shoulder.

"Avery hey!" She opened her eyes and saw Caleb looking at her, his face was somewhat worried. She looked around and she found herself sitting on a chair in the stables. She fell asleep!

"What happened?" She asked Caleb, her voice was a little bit groggy.

"You fell from the horse earlier, good thing you were not injured." He explained. She looked at her arms and legs. She was covered with dirt! She found some minor scratches on her arms but it wasn't really much of a big deal. She sighed.

"You scared me!" Caleb exclaimed. "Irma would kill me if something bad happened to you." She chuckled and lightly punched him on the shoulder.

"I'm fine. You don't have to worry about me!" She said and smiled at him, her heart somewhat flattered with his words. Before he can even say anything Irma came rushing towards them.

"Avery! Can I borrow Caleb for a while?" Irma was panting. She nodded, Caleb waved goodbye to her and was dragged by Irma outside. Avery closed her eyes, her head felt heavy.

* * *

"I've seen this painting! We can go in from the other side!" Caleb said as soon as he and Irma were alone. He was still worried about Avery, she fell from the horse yet no one was left to look after her but then this incident was a big deal, the other guardians are trapped in a painting in Phobos' gallery!

"What other side?" Irma asked looking confused. Caleb inhaled deeply, his hand moved to comb his hair, a thing he does whenever he was nervous.

"Meridian. We can only go in by entering the painting in Phobos' gallery." He exclaimed. Irma's mouth dropped.

"You're kidding right?" She asked, biting her lips in the process. It was the first time that he saw her like that but there was no time to waste. Irma face then lightened like an idea struck her. "I know what to do!" She exclaimed and dragged her back to the stables.

After a few minutes, they were now standing in front of the blue swirling orb.

"You ready?" He asked Irma before kicking the side of his horse to signal it to run. Irma nodded and followed him inside. It was dark as always in Meridian, the rumble of thunder can be heard throughout the silent land. The guided their horses towards the entrance of the castle, where a lot of guards were running towards them but they easily passed through with the help of the horses and the lances.

"Behind you!" He yelled at Irma who was in front of him, a guard jumped towards her back but she quickly thrust the lance towards his direction and the guard fell over.

"Thanks!" Irma said now catching up with him. The horses were now climbing the steps towards the part of the castle where Phobos' library was located. When they reached the castle, they nudged the horses to walk silently to avoid gaining the attention of the other guards. Good thing that area wasn't well guarded. The door of the gallery sprang open revealing the big painting where the others are trapped.

"That's Avery!" Irma's voice surprised him; he glanced towards her and saw her staring at a smaller painting. He jumped out of his horse and walk towards her. His mouth dropped as soon as he saw it. It was Avery but younger. Wait, no it mustn't be. How could Phobos have her face plastered on his gallery?

"Lady Avery von Heinrich." Irma gasped after she read the label below it. "That's Avery's face when she was twelve years old!" Irma added, her face mirrored his, a mixture of shock and confusion. Irma's hands scrambled as she reached for the painting, getting it off the wall.

"What are you doing?" He asked, Irma didn't answer him but she started ripping off the canvass from the portrait.

"What are you two doing here?" They both stopped and turned to see Phobos. His emerald eyes were blazing in anger. He raised his hands and a sword appeared. Caleb grabbed Irma and they hurriedly mounted their horses and jumped towards the painting.

After fighting with the evil forces and going back to the school to finish the spring carnival, Caleb and the girls found themselves inside the Silver Dragon's basement. The other guardians face registered shock and confusion when Irma showed them the torn painting.

"But this is Avery when she was twelve years old!" Cornelia exclaimed, if anyone knows the Browns better, it's Cornelia. She has known Elyon all her life. Will took the painting from Cornelia's hands and stared at it.

"Why would Avery's face be posted on Phobos' gallery?" Will asked. Well, that was also the question that bugs his mind. How on earth will an earth girl's picture find itself in Phobos' gallery?

"Maybe she's like a dead relative of Phobos and was reincarnated as Avery." Taranee replied. Irma shook her head.

"Then why is the label named _Lady Avery von Heinrich?"_ Irma asked her, Taranee shrugged telling her that she had no idea. Maybe they should ask Elias, Phobos' former painter whom they just save earlier.

"We asked Elias but he said that the painting was there even before he started painting for Phobos." Hay Lin spoke as if she can read his mind. If there was anyone who would know why Avery's face was on the painting, it was someone who works in the castle. Caleb drew a deep breath before speaking.

"I need to go back to Meridian. I will ask Vathek to gather information about the painting." He said before taking the torn painting from Will's hands. "Blunk, sniff me a portal." He then called out his slimy and smelly not-friend Blunk, the passling nodded and followed him outside.

* * *

A/N: If you are wondering why the chapter started with another flashback again, well, I plan on adding some flashbacks on chapters so that you can have an idea what *happened* in the past. Next chapter will be posted before Christmas, hopefully and don't forget to review! Phobos demands it! :P

*Chapter contains scenes from Season 1 Episode 10: Framed

*she₂- Irma

 _What do you think?_


	4. Chapter 3: Revelation

_**The Serpent and the Maiden Fair Chapter 3**_

*Special shoutout to my friend **_Sasha_**! Thanks for the comments and suggestions. This chapter is dedicated for you! :)

Enjoy!

* * *

 _Cedric looked at the clear blue waters of the lake again before letting out a sigh. It will be long before he can see the peaceful view of that part of the forest again. He sat on a nearby rock and closed his eyes; he tried to remember how he found that special part of the woods. Although it was not really a good memory, it was still important for him because what happened that day changed his life. That was the day he saved Avery._

 _Her parents were really grateful that he saved her and offered him sanctuary at their castle. At first he was afraid to take the offer yet when Avery told her parents that he was a Naga and the couple never hinted any disgust, he gladly accepted it. It was the happiest day of his life. Agatha and Sebastian von Heinrich were the most understanding people he ever met. They took him as their warden and gave him a surname. Their own surname, he was soon legitimized by the Queen as a member of house Heinrich._

 _He had lived with them for three years now and during those three years, he grew closer to Avery. It was like his world revolved around her. She gave him the inspiration to live and to fight. She was the most precious person in the world to him. He was in love with her._

 _However his feelings were unrequited and their love story is doomed for tragedy as she was already promised to another. Unfortunately for him, his love is betrothed to the Prince, his best friend. Avery was also the reason why they met. The Prince was always visiting West Nubar for Avery. Although Avery was still young still it was a custom in Meridian that as soon as the girl reaches her fifteenth year, she is too marry whoever is engaged to her. In this case, the Prince._

 _It crushed his heart to learn that she could never be his but then what was her future with him? He was no one in that land. He was just an orphan who was taken by her family and raised him as their own. That is the reason why he chose to go to the capital and train in the military. That way he can just forget her. Or maybe not. He knows he can't do it. He gasped as he felt a tear fell from his eye, he immediately wiped it away. Why is he crying? He went to this lake to keep himself from being emotional and not cry. He was here to savour his last day in West Nubar. To be happy, yet he was crying there like an idiot._

 _"_ _You're here." He winced as he heard her voice. She was here and she found him when he does not want to be found. Yet she was here and she found him again._

 _"_ _You shouldn't have come." He told her. Even if he can't see it, he knew that she was smiling. Her footsteps sounded louder as she came close to him. His eyes widen as he felt her arms wrapped around him from his back._

 _"_ _I will miss you Ceddie." She said while calling him by his nickname. He sighed, he turned to face her. She was looking down. He rested his hand on her chin and slowly lifted her head. Her cheeks were red and her eyes were drenched with tears._

 _"_ _Why are you crying?" He asked as he wiped her tears away. Avery hugged him again._

 _"_ _You're leaving me." Avery said as she buried her head on his chest. His heart pumped rapidly as he inhaled her scent. She smelled like lilies, pure and innocent. She was making it hard for him to leave but then he must. It was the only way he can stop himself from further falling for her. He bent down and put his hands on her shoulder._

 _"_ _I will come back. I promise." He lied; he knew that he won't be coming back. As soon as he will enter the military, he will be assigned in the capital and he can never see her again._

 _"_ _I will miss you." She said and tears started flowing from her eyes again. He smiled at her and kissed her forehead. "I love you Cedric." She softly muttered. His eyes widen in shock by her words._

* * *

Sunday.

Since she was free today, she said yes to Peter and Matt's invitation to eat at the Silver Dragon, which was owned by Hay Lin's family. The food there was really great and she likes talking to Hay Lin's Grandmother, Yan Lin. Yan Lin was such a nice and cool grandma, one time, she even went out to ski with them and she likes listening to her unusual stories.

Peter and Matt texted her earlier that they will just meet at the Silver Dragon and Peter can't pick her up because his Dad used his car, so she was now on her way to the restaurant. It was just a few blocks away from her house and she does not really want to spend a lot of money on taxi fare so she decided to walk.

 _'_ _Elyon?'_ She thought as soon as she saw her younger sister coming out from a store the moment she turned from the alley. Her forehead creased. _What was she doing here?_ She asked herself. Earlier this morning Elyon left to visit Cornelia's house, saying that the will go to the mall so she find it weird that she saw Elyon there, alone. She looked up to check the name of the shop, maybe it was some sort of boutique that Cornelia often visits.

A bookstore? She cocked one eyebrow when she read the sign hanging above the door. That was a new one. Elyon rarely goes to bookstores. Or unless, there was a cute guy in there. Well, she better find out. She hurriedly walked towards the opening. She pushed the door and was startled by the chime of the bell above it. She was just checking out but she might look like an idiot if she'll just enter and leave. Her mind rattled as she was thinking of what kind of book she will pretend to buy.

"Hi. Can I be of any assistance?" She turned as soon as she heard a voice and she saw a guy with long blonde hair which was neatly tied in a ponytail and he was wearing glasses, it made him look a little bit older but he was so gorgeous! He looks like some kind of movie star with his handsome face and lean body. Then she had a clear view of his eye color: _Violet!_ It was the same as hers! Weird. He seems to be surprised to see her as his eyes widen at the moment their gazes meet.

 _Have we met before?_ She asked herself. Something about this guy was familiar. It feels like she knew him but she can't remember how or why she knew him. An unfamiliar sensation entered her system, her heart was beating furiously and her mind went blank.

They were staring at each other for quite a long time until he broke his eye contact.

"I-I'm sorry, I-I don't know what came to me. I uh. My name's Avery." She said as soon as their gazes fell. She held out her hand to him, the guy seems to be reluctant to take it but after a few seconds she felt his hand wrap around hers. She gasped softly as his skin hit hers; it was warm and really natural, like she had held that hand before. She bit the side of her cheek to stop herself from blushing.

"I don't mind. I'm Cedric." He said as he let go of her hand. His voice. It was like music to her ears. Wait, what? Is she having some sort of infatuation with this man? Well, she rarely feels that way when she was around a new guy before. Cedric smiled at her and she felt like her heart fluttered.

"You look familiar. Have we met before?" She echoed her thoughts before she can even stop herself. Gad! She'll totally sound weird. Cedric might think that she was some kind of crazy woman asking a stranger if they have met before. Cedric gently shook her head and just smiled at her.

"No. I'm afraid we haven't met before." He said. _The book!_ Her mind screamed. She needs to borrow a book. Right. But what kind of book will she buy? Even if it's just a pretend book, she will still read it so she better choose something interesting.

"Uhmm. Do you have some books about dream interpretation? I'm actually experiencing some sort of weird dreams for the past few days." She said. That was a good alibi and it was actually half-truth, she had been experiencing weird dreams, so she wanted to know what these dreams mean.

"Of course. You will have to excuse me for a short while." Cedric said before disappearing into a corner. She just remained on spot where she was standing. After a few seconds, Cedric went back with a book on his hand. He handed it to her and she asked how much she needs to pay for it.

"It's on the house." He replied. She was about to argue but he spoke ahead of her. "I insist." Oh. He was such a gentleman. She looked down as she tried to hide the blush forming on her face. Why was she acting weird in front of him? She had faced a lot of cute guys before but none of them gave her this kind of unusual feeling.

"Oh-kay. Thanks anyway." She said and smiled at him as she reached for the books from his hand. She turned her back and hurriedly went to the door; she was already running late for her lunch with Peter and Matt and she does not know what will happen if she stays there any longer. She was about to reach the handle when Cedric called her.

"We'll be having a poetry reading session here on Thursday. I was wondering if you would like to come." Cedric asked. _Poetry reading?_ Well that wasn't her thing but a voice in her mind was pushing her to say yes so that she could see Cedric again.

"Okay. See you Thursday." She said before heading out of the store, her face heavily blushed. She sighed, it was the most unusual day that happened to her. A crush! Who would have thought that she'll be attracted to some stranger-slash-bookstore owner?

She glanced back several times and saw Cedric standing behind the glass display, looking at her, she just waved at him ran towards the alley going to the Silver Dragon. It was quite a long run so she was panting when she reached the door. She drew a deep breath before going in.

As soon as she entered, Matt and Peter waved at her. She smiled at them and started walking directly to where they are. She dragged a chair out and dropped on it and put the book on the table.

"What took you so long?" Peter asked, there was a hint of worry on his voice.

"Bookstore." She said as she grabbed a glass of water in front of her, they must have requested for it when they arrived. Both of them knew that she always likes drinking water before eating.

"What's this? _Dreams: Meanings and Interpretations?_ Are you planning to become a Jedi?" She didn't notice Matt grab the book she had. Then he was trying to mimic some Jedi moves, Peter tag along with him while mouthing the words "I am your father." and Matt silently shouted "No!". She shook her head and sighed, the two just laughed at her thinking that it was hilarious.

"No duh! I don't even have a lightsaber!." She snapped at them when they stopped teasing, it was one of the reasons why she likes hanging out with them, they were geeks for Sci-Fi movies. "It's just that, these couple of days, I'm having some sort of weird dreams." She said while looking at the half-empty glass of water. Those weird dreams and visions seem to be running on her mind for a couple of days now. No, not just a couple of days, it was like forever. When will it ever stop?

"What kind of dreams?" Matt asked, the two were looking at her wearing the same curious expressions on their faces while waiting for her reply. At first she hesitated to tell them but she drew a deep breath. Maybe it was okay to tell them, she can't just keep this secret forever, she wants someone to listen to her to or maybe give her some advice.

"Well, there are these two men, they don't have faces. One has blonde hair and the other has straw blonde hair, almost like Elyon's. I have dreamt of them since I was young and they both seemed to be familiar but I can't remember meeting them or I don't even know if we have met before." She confessed. Matt sighed and opened the book, maybe trying to find some explanations on her dreams.

"Well, it says here that if you always dream about someone you don't know, maybe they are connected to your past or future. Like their people whom you met in your past life or maybe you'll meet in the future." Matt said quoting a paragraph from the book.

"That's weird, if I met them before, how?" She asked. If that was true then where did she meet these guys? They were older than her but then she also had a vision about the blonde men when he was young. Is she some sort of time traveler or something?

"Maybe you're from the past and you time traveled to the future." Peter just spoke out her thoughts, they were both looking worried about her revelation. She didn't say anything, her mind was just so clouded and she does not know which is which.

"Hello. Can I take your order?" She looked up to see Caleb, wearing a black shirt, cargo pants and an apron was tied on his waist. Right. He was working here. She reminded herself.

"Caleb! It's nice to see you!" She smiled at him. She almost laughed when she saw a faint tinge on his cheek, he then scratch the back of his head and returned a smile.

"Hi Avery. I haven't seen you in a while." He said and looked at Peter and Matt and the two stared back at him. He must have thought that she was some sort of playgirl dating two men at the same time. She cleared her throat and the three men dropped their gazes.

"Uhmm. Caleb, this is Matt and Peter, they're my best friends. Matt, Peter, this is Caleb, he's friends with the other girls." She introduced the Caleb to her friends. Caleb just nodded to Matt and Peter.

"Anyway, can I take your order?" He asked again. She glanced quickly at the menu, she was drowned with her thoughts about her dreams earlier that she forgot to check what she wants to eat. After taking their order Caleb excused himself.

"You like him?" Peter then asked when they were finally alone.

"What!?" The question surprised her. What kind of question was that?

"Yeah. You kind of look at him in a weird way." Matt then said. She stared at them with disbelief, she can't believe that they're having this kind of conversation and these two men have feelings for her! Which was so awkward.

"No! Of course not! He's not my type." She shrugged.

"You can tell us. We err. We. We are not jealous." Peter said, Matt nodded in agreement. What? Are they out of their minds!?

"I already said it, he's not my type." Awkward. This was a very awkward situation. She was supposed to hang with them so she can avoid talking about boys! But now they were asking her about the opposite sex.

"Then tell us what kind of guy you like." Matt added.

"No. I'm not having this kind of conversation with you." She said as she pushed her chair backwards and readied herself to stand.

"Okay fine. Fine. We're just joking okay?" Peter then said. She sighed and pushed her chair back to the table. Her mind then drifted back to Cedric. If only she can tell them that he was her type of man but then she doesn't want to hurt their feelings, given that she already hinted that they were jealous of Caleb.

* * *

 _She's alive!_

Cedric thought the moment Avery left. Phobos lied to him. He was stationed in the northern part of Meridian when the war broke out. He was worried about Avery because Phobos and his supporters would target the Heinrich's as they are most likely to be the ones who will help the Queen and Consort.

After knowing that his mother was pregnant with a girl, Phobos' supporters have attacked the palace, saying that the Prince was the rightful heir to the throne and that Meridian should now have a King and not some naïve young girl as a Queen. They have imprisoned the Queen and was about to execute the Consort if it he didn't help them escape. Yes, he helped them, he was the one who sent a raven to Lady Agatha, he told her about the current situation of the Royals and his adoptive mother have asked him to assist them in escaping.

The plan succeeded. They were safely transported to West Nubar without the Prince's knowledge. When they finally knew about it, Cedric was already sent to the northern Meridian. The Prince's counselors labelled the Heinrich's as traitors and advised the Prince to assassinate them. The Prince pleaded for Avery's safety as she was his fiancee.

He and Avery were still exchanging secret messages until he never received another word from her again after a month of waiting. Worried, he secretly fled from his encampment and went to West Nubar to know what happened.

He was shocked to see that his former home, the beautiful stronghold of West Nubar, was partially burned and that everyone including the young daughter of Lady Agatha and Lord Sebastian was murdered. Angry, he went to the castle to confront Phobos, who was as shocked as he is.

He blamed him for Avery's death. Phobos never said a word to him, making him even angrier. He left and went back to Wayfort, West Nubar's capitol and the place where the Heinrich's castle was located. With the help of some people, they were able to restore some of the burned parts. Since he was legitimized as a von Heinrich, he succeeded as the new Duke of Wayfort.

After a few months of not having any communications with the palace and his anger for Phobos' for not being able to protect Avery, Phobos visited him to offer a place in his court as his military commander. He refused saying that he won't leave Wayfort again but Phobos threatened him that he will likely drain the life force of all the towns in West Nubar if he won't agree, leaving him with no choice but to return to the capital. As a sort of bribe, he was still titled as the Lord of Wayfort.

It took him years before he can move on from her, it was a hard process and he never looked at any woman after Avery. It was like a part of him died when he lost her but now, now was different. She was alive and was here on earth. But after years of living with Phobos and following his evil rule, he became different. It seems like compassion and kindness left him and he lived with hatred, just like his master.

Now, his hope was back. Avery was more than alive. However he can't keep her away from Phobos. If Phobos knows that Avery is here on earth, he will likely get her like Elyon. He needs to keep her safe but how safe can she be with him? If they flee on any part of Earth, Phobos can still track them.

He was so drowned with his thoughts that he almost didn't notice someone come inside. When he sensed the presence of another person, he immediately turned to face her. He needs to focus on his mission first, Phobos will be very angry if he fails and who knows what horrors he will do to him.

It was the girl earlier, on her neck hang the stone of Threbe, the ancient stone used by Phobos' grandparents to track his mother Weira, when she ran away.

"How can I help you?" He asked. The girl moved forward.

"I think I stole this jewel from your window display." She said while touching the stone. It glowed bright green.

"Oh no. It's not a jewel. It's practically worthless." As much as he hated this job, he needs to do it well.

"I don't know why I took it. It's really not like me." The girl said her hands reached the chain of the necklace. "Here, it's yours." She said while handing over the stone to him. On instinct he stopped her, the guardians' powers will be back again and Phobos will not be pleased by that. He sighed as he took it from her. The girl walked passed him to the nearby box, he immediately hid the stone on his back pocket and followed her.

"Are those school yearbooks?" She asked.

"Yes. I'm afraid I'm a bit disorganized but I could use some help." He said while placing a hand on her shoulder. The girl blushed and took a book from the box.

"Don't laugh. This is what I looked like last year." She said and pointed the photo on the yearbook. _Elyon Brown._ Aha. So this was the identity of Phobos' sister. Now he can report something good to his master when he comes back. Elyon stayed a little longer and finally went home.

He was left again and his thoughts went back to Avery. His mind and heart battled if he will report this to Phobos or not. Maybe not. Maybe he shouldn't report it to him, as long as Phobos doesn't know about this Avery will be safe but then if Phobos knows this, he will be in big trouble and if the Prince finds out that he has feelings for his fiancée he would totally execute him.

He knows that Phobos was in love with Avery. There was no other person in Meridian that Phobos adored more than her; he knows it because he witnessed it. Phobos would visit her every month; he would shower her with gifts and jewels and sometimes stroll with her in the capital. While he watched in vain as he can't do it to her, he was a man with no family and honor. He was a no one in that kingdom and Avery was meant to become a Princess or maybe a Queen if Phobos will succeed in his plans.

But unbeknownst to Phobos, Avery had confessed her feelings for him in the past. However he is unsure if she still feels the same, given that she seemed to have no memories of her past. He hissed as his mind and heart battled again. _Love or duty?_ He asked himself.

* * *

 _*Chapter contains scenes from Season 1 Episode 11: The Stone of Threbe_

 _*Wayfort is just an imaginary name of the place (I took it from a place generator website,lol)_

 _A/N: In honor of Star Wars, I added a joke (which I'm not sure if it's funny). Aside from that I feel like the story kind of became a bit of GOT. Anyway, let me know in the reviews what you think about the chapter. Don't forget to favorite, follow and review afterwards! Phobos demands it! If not you'll find yourself rotting in Cavigor forever! (Insert Phobos' evil laugh)_

 _:P_


	5. Chapter 4: The Lady Revealed

_**The Serpent and the Maiden Fair**_

 _ **Merry Christmas everyone! :)))**_

* * *

 _A gentle tap on his shoulder startled a young Phobos and he slowly opened his eyes to see who it is. If it was some kind of lowly servant who dared to wake him up this early he would have him punished. (Un)Fortunately it was not a servant but his mother, she was smiling at him. He groaned and covered his face with a pillow as he saw the bright light from the balcony of his room._

 _"_ _Wake up my little prince." His mother said as she sat beside him. He did not mind her instead he closed his eyes to go back to sleep. He was tired and still sleepy, it was still early and he is a prince so no one question why he was up late. But then it was his mother who was with him right now and she is the most powerful person in their planet; the light of Meridian._

 _"_ _Mother, it's still early." His voice was muffled by the pillow but it was clear enough for his mother to understand. He can hear her laugh softly._

 _"_ _We are to visit Wayfort, remember?" His mother gently said as she tried to take the pillow from his face. He struggled to keep it on place and he groaned as he remembered what day it is. Wayfort. Right, today they will travel to Wayfort to see his fiancée, the girl who was promised to be his wife before they were even born. He had no idea what the girl looks like but his mother told him that the girl was really beautiful. But then they were like what, he was still thirteen years old and the girl was eleven. They were both young and he doesn't want to marry a girl he barely even knew._

 _A few moments passed and he felt fingers reaching out for his sides and his feet. His mother was tickling him! He struggled not to laugh but then it was so hard not to. He gave up and removed the pillow from his face, revealing his red face and teary eyes because of the tickling. His mother just laughed at him before kissing him on the forehead._

 _"_ _You should prepare now." His mother said before going out of his room. He groaned again and scrambled to get up. He doesn't have that much choice. Besides if his mother was telling the truth, then he should be thankful that he was not engaged with some kind of high born creatures._

 _He already met Lady Agatha and Lord Sebastian, the parents of his betrothed and they were good looking, especially Lady Agatha, she almost looks like some sort of fairy or nymph. So he was quite sure that their daughter is beautiful. Well, she should be, there was no way he would marry some sort of freaky blue or green colored creatures like the ones on his mother's council._

 _He dipped his body on the tub filled with warm water and closed his eyes to imagine what the girl will look like but then it was so hard to combine the features of the Heinrichs. He sighed. Well, it should be a surprise then._

 _It took them a week before reaching Wayfort, the capital of West Nubar, it was one of the largest cities in Metamoor second only to Meridian (the capital) itself. The two places were separated by a large body of water so they needed to ride a big ship before reaching the place. West Nubar was a large place filled with swamps, lakes and pristine forests._

 _According to some legends, it was the home place of the Nagas and Naiads but due to people thinking that these creatures were bad luck, some of them were hunted and killed resulting to their decrease in number. Some have claimed that these stories were not true but well people only believe what they see._

 _They received a warm welcome from the people there as well as the Heinrich household. Phobos was somewhat awed by their beautiful castle. It was located in the middle of a river and it was looks like it was floating if you look at in a far direction. The size of the palace was almost as big as the Royal palace but this one was even more decorative. The walls are adorned by some sort of wild flowers and the glass stained windows were colored purples, greens, blues and yellows._

 _He finds their sigil interesting, for a place who hated Nagas and Naiads, well theirs were a faceless Naiad with a snake wrapped around her naked body._

 _"_ _Honey, I'm going to talk to Lady Agatha for a while. You can roam around but don't go any far okay, take the handmaidens and guards with you." His mother told him before disappearing in the halls. He sighed and went outside to check the place out. Everything here was wonderful and the place was beautiful._

 _Beautiful trees grow around the palace and wild flowers grew on the gardens. The sight was rather soothing. He turned to the handmaidens trailing around him and dismissed them. At first they hesitated but then after he threatened to punish them they reluctantly walked away. He wants to check the place alone, the handmaidens will just scold him when he does something his mother won't like. So he sent them away so he can do whatever he wants._

 _A soft laughter surprised him and gained his curiosity. It was sharp and peeling but it sounded very nice to the ears. He went out to follow the sound and found himself on the southern part of the castle. There was a small door that leads outside, at first he hesitated to go but the sound of the laughter seems to drag him out. He wants to know who the owner of the beautiful sound was. The gate creaked open and it lead him to the river, the place was somewhat rocky and he cringed as he walked in difficulty. He found himself on the cliff and was disappointed when he saw no one there._

 _His ears must have toyed with him. Well. Damn his ears!_

 _Then the soft peeling can be heard again and he turned to another direction and he saw a flight of stairs hidden behind some rocks. He went to check it out. The gentle waves of the lake/river splash against the steps making it slippery._

 _The laughter became louder and he looked down to see something glowing in the water. He gasped. The water moved and a young girl came out of it. She was looking weird, she was glowing! Phobos' eyes darted towards her; she had a long pastel blue hair that covered hanged until her knees and her eyes, they were orbs of gold, her body was covered with glowing scales and she does not have a feet but a tail similar to those of a mermaid but they were different and there were no mermaids in Metamoor._

 _She rose from the water and her form began to change. Her hair turned into silvery blonde and her eyes, violet, her tail turned into pale legs, she was very beautiful. He was so surprised that he screamed. It startled the girl, she stepped back into the water and her hair glowed blue._

 _Suddenly a boy with the same age as him jumped in between them. The girl ran to the back of the boy and clutched his arm. She looked scared, strands of her hair were covering her small face but she was still so pretty._

 _"_ _Who are you and what are you doing here?" The boy hissed and Phobos' eyes widen as he watch the boy's eyes. It wasn't normal; it was almost like those of a snake. Wait. The boy was a Naga and the girl, she's a Naiad. But what are they doing here? And they should be extinct by now as what his tutors told him. "Stay back." He heard the boy whispered to the girl behind him._

 _A blinding light flashed before his eyes, he held his hand to cover it. When it stopped, he was so shocked to see the boy transformed into his Naga form, his body was green and yellow. The boy hissed, flashing his forked tongue to him and it scared the hell of him! He let out another cry but this time for help. This monster creature in front of him should be stopped._

 _His personal guards came rushing towards their direction, so was the handmaidens he dismissed earlier. The guards drew out their sword towards the creature and it hissed in anger. After a few seconds, his mother and Lady Agatha came._

 _"_ _My little prince!" His mother called him as she arrived. He ran towards her and hugged her, hiding his face due to fear and embarrassment._

 _"_ _Avery! Cedric!" Lady Agatha called. Avery? Cedric? What? The young prince was confused. These creatures have names? Weird. He peaked at their direction and he saw the girl hugging Lady Agatha. He raised his eyebrow in confusion. His mother then put her hands on his shoulders._

 _"_ _Son, I see you have met your fiancée. Lady Avery von Heinrich of Wayfort." His mother said and pointed to the girl hugging Lady Agatha. Well, he'll be damned._

* * *

 _So, this is my younger sister, the princess._

Phobos thought as he looked at the picture Cedric gave him earlier. A smile crept on his face while he studied her face. Ah, she almost looks like their dear mother, the woman who betrayed him. How interesting. He stood up from his throne and took some sand from the viewing stone. He threw it across the room.

 _"_ _Hi Cedric." A silver haired girl entered the bookstore they used as undercover to draw the princess out. Cedric turned and smiled at her._

 _"_ _Hi Avery. Why are you here?" Cedric asked the girl._ Avery? Phobos' forehead creased. He looked closely at the young girl again. Impossible. It was her indeed but how did she managed to stay young after all this time? She was supposed to age up after fourteen years.

 _"_ _I'm here to thank you again for the book yesterday." She smiled sweetly at him._

 _"_ _No problem. You can just keep it." Cedric said and turned away from the girl._ Phobos saw his expression change. It was like he was battling with his mind. A smirk formed into the prince's face. Aha. So Cedric kept his knowledge of Avery's safety. He already predicted that it would happen. He knew a long time ago that his former friend was in love with his fiancée. But he cannot let him take her that's why he made Cedric believe that Avery died during the capture of Wayfort. Avery was his and his alone. He walked down the throne and turned towards his chambers. He opened the door, and glanced at the wall on the left side of his bed.

"Avery." He muttered as he looked at the five feet tall painting hanging on it. It was Avery, in her Naiad form. He smiled. He missed her so much, his mind drifted back to the time that they first met. He was afraid but then when he started to know Avery, his views became different.

She was innocent, young, and beautiful but was very witty. She made him feel special. She taught him love. When his counselors advised him to assassinate the Heinrichs, he pleaded for her to be spared as she was destined to be his queen. They agreed. To be sure that they won't harm her, he went to Wayfort with them. But then he learned from his mother that Avery was taken away. It broke him. He felt that all the good in him was lost the moment he found out about Avery's departure. After fourteen years, his heart was totally engulfed with anger, hatred and greed for power.

Now, he found her again and this time, he won't be letting go of her. He won't lose her again like the past. He will do, what he must have done before, marry her and make her his queen. He touched the painting.

"We will be together again my love." He said as he turned towards his bed. He lifted his hand and the Book of Secrets came flying towards him. He opened it. He took a harsh breath before speaking.

"After the night of the coronation, I shall eliminate Cedric and Avery will be crowned as my Queen." He said before closing it. Now he shall let his right hand enjoy his time with Avery while he still can. When the time comes, he shall destroy him. He let out an evil laugh.

* * *

 _'_ _Vathek should have news by now.'_

Caleb thought while giving the orders of the new customer to the chef. It's already been a week since he went back to Meridian to ask some information from his friend, Vathek, a blue creature who is one of the spies of the rebel. He sighed. For several days, Avery's identity was bugging him. Who is she? Why is her face hanging on Phobos' gallery? And what's her connection to the Heinrichs? He knew that they were once a powerful political family in Meridian, they were the right hand of Queen Weira.

From what he has learned they were assassinated, all of them. So is she related to them? He sighed. Hopefully she is not some of Phobos' spies. After he delivered the orders, he noticed that the girls were not inside. He went to the backdoor and saw all of them standing and somewhat talking to someone.

"I must speak with Caleb." Vathek! He's here. He felt relieved that Vathek was here but wait, why was he here? It's unlike him to really barge into Earth but it must be really important that's why he can't trust a passling to give him the news.

"He's not here!" Hay Lin exclaimed but he went out before they can say anything stupid. It was a good thing he was able to hear their voices.

"There's something I need to tell you!" Vathek said as soon as he saw him. There was worry on his voice, it must really be something important or urgent.

"Leave us please." He told the girls. They grunted all grunted and started going inside.

"Hey Blunk. I heard that there's a dead pigeon on the roof." Irma said before leaving, Blunk's mouth watered and disappeared before he can even speak. Now, he and Vathek were alone.

"What news do you bring?" He asked him as soon as they were alone. The blue creature sighed.

"It's the princess. They found her." Vathek said. Caleb gasped as soon as he heard it. The princess. Impossible.

"How? What?" He asked, his forehead creased by what his friend said. How did they find her? Was she here in Heatherfield?

"The star of Threbe. It located the princess." Vathek replied. Of course! The Star of Threbe, the girls and Yan Lin were talking about it last time and it cause the guardians to lose their powers for a while and they needed to fight a plant thing that landed in some railroad tracks.

"Who is she?" Caleb asked again. He suddenly felt something weird, like acid was building on the pit of his stomach.

"Her name is Elyon Brown." He gasped. Elyon? Elyon Brown? But she's Avery's sister.

"That's impossible."

"It's true, I heard Phobos and Cedric talk about her and Cedric even gave the Prince a picture. Short girl with blue eyes and straw blonde hair." That was Elyon.

"What of Avery?" He asked leaving behind the topic about the Princess. Vathek searched something from his back pockets. After some time, Vathek finally pulled out a torn paper from it and handed it to him. It was a letter. He straightened it up and started reading it.

 _'_ _Agatha my dear friend, I am so glad to hear about the news. I'm very excited to meet your daughter, Avery. I'm sure that she is as lovely as you. She and Phobos will make a fine couple. It's just too bad that my son can never be King. Still, I know that the two will become great rulers of West Nubar. I hope to see you very soon my old friend.'_

Avery. Avery is the daughter of the Duchess of Wayfort and she is engaged to Phobos. But that's impossible. If she was born years ago, she should have been on her twenties by now. Something was not really right here.

"Thank you Vathek. You should come inside, somebody might see you here." He said and kept the paper on his hands. He hurriedly went to the kitchen where the girls are.

"We have to go." He said as soon as he entered. They were still in the middle of their dinner and they dropped their utensils as he spoke.

"We're eating what's the rush?" Will mumbled, her mouth was full of food. He frowned. What's the rush? Everything is a rush! Vathek just arrived there to bring in some important news and this girl will just ask him _'What's the rush?'_. Well what can he expect from a group of teenagers who were just chosen to be the guardians of the veil. They don't even have an idea what they are dealing with the first time they went to Meridian.

"The sister of Phobos has been identified." He said. The girls echoed a "What", his gaze then went to Cornelia who was as shocked as the other girls. "And her name is Elyon Brown." Cornelia's eyes widen at his words. Thunder seemed to have struck her face.

"That's not possible. Elyon was born here, in Heatherfield Memorial." She said as she looked at him with disbelief. He knew that she would react this way. He took a deep breath. This is not going to be easy.

"That's not all. Avery Brown is Phobos' fiancée." The girls who haven't recovered from what he said earlier gasped. Who would have thought that the two sisters were directly related to their enemy?

"T-then how come they're here on Earth?" Hay Lin asked. It seems like the other girls also want to ask that question, how were they able to reach Earth? But then Meridian was a magical place so it was possible that they were able to travel between worlds.

"No. No. No. That's not possible. I've known Elyon and Avery all my life, I grew up with them. They can't be in anyway related to Phobos!" Cornelia exclaimed. Her cheeks were red in anger. He understands her; it was totally difficult to believe. However that's what Vathek heard from Phobos and Lord Cedric himself.

"The heir to the Meridian throne was brought to Earth over twelve years ago." He said as he put his hand on her shoulder to calm her.

"I don't care who she or Avery are. I'm not fighting them. We can't possibly be sure that they are evil like Phobos!" Cornelia stomped her feet stubbornly.

"Then we have a job to do." Will said as she also put a hand on Cornelia's shoulder.

"If she is the princess, why did the bad guys not take her?" Cornelia asked. The door opened and Yan Lin went out, she must have heard their conversation.

"They must earn her trust. The heir to the throne has great powers even if she does not know if it. Phobos knows this and is acting carefully to gain it." She said, her eyes moved to look at everyone.

"But how about Avery? Do you also know about Avery?" Hay Lin asked her grandmother. Yan Lin shook her head.

"Then we still have time right?" Cornelia asked the old lady whose expression was now as gloomy as the others. No one ever expected this thing to happen. He somehow felt bad for Cornelia. She was the closest to the two sisters and she just discovered that the two are related to their enemy. Yet they are not sure if the two are also part of his evil. He barely knew the two girls but he thinks that they are good, especially Avery.

"No. Phobos will send beasts in human form to get close to her and she will be drawn to them for reasons she can't explain. You must act carefully." Yan Lin replied. Will sighed.

"Well, what do we do about Avery?"

"If she is Phobos' fiancée and was sent to Earth with Elyon, we can assume that whoever sent her also wants to protect her from Phobos. You must not let him get the two." The girls nodded. She was right, Avery and Elyon were both sent to Earth so it must be to protect them from Phobos.

"Oh no! The new boy with green eyes!" Taranee cried. Brian! He must be Phobos' minion disguised as human. Earlier this day, Hay Lin told them about Elyon's new boyfriend whom she met by accident.

"They are in the carnival right now!" Irma added.

"That's where portal!" Blunk then said, the girls gasped again. They must hurry. If Phobos did send creatures for Elyon and Avery, they must reach them first!

"Let's go!" He said. The girls nodded and they starting running towards the carnival.

 _'_ _Please be okay. Please be okay. Please be safe Avery.'_ He thought while running. He was concerned about her and does not want Phobos to get her. He does not know why but he cares for her. Hopefully they can reach them before Phobos' minions do.

* * *

 _*Chapter contains scenes from Season 1 Episode 12: The Princess Revealed_

 _A/N: Hello there! I'm reached this part of the story, thank you so much. Anyway, your comments, opinions and suggestions are highly appreciated. Don't forget to follow and favorite this story if you like it. Phobos demands it! :P_

 _Sssooo. Howsss the chapter?_


	6. Chapter 5: The Law of Sacrifice

_**The Serpent and the Maiden Fair Chapter 5**_

 ** _Important Announcement!:_ To all Star Wars and WITCH fans, your wait is over! I'm in the middle of writing the first Star Wars & WITCH crossover so hold your horses! I'll be posting the fic on January (I already finished the first two chapters) and it's a PhobosxCornelia fic. :3 :3 (** _Special thanks again to my best friend here, Sasha, who inspired and suggested to write this fic.)_

 **I can't promise that it's really a great fic but well I can always write what I want right? Anyway aside from that Happy New Year everyone! I hope you all start this 2016 with a bang!**

 **Anyway, this is a crappy chapter but I hope that you guys will enjoy reading it! Have fun!**

 ** _Enjoy!_**

* * *

Cedric transformed into his human form before going inside the portal to Earth, it would be a disaster if he accidentally went in as a big snake. He brought with him a larvec and a lurden, Phobos' orders. They need to capture the traitor Vathek before he reaches the guardians and inform them about the identity of the princess. He knew that the other girls will try to save the princess as she was friends with them.

Once Elyon knows the truth, it would be the end of everything or just Phobos but then he was his master's servant. He does what Phobos is pleased thus it makes him more like his master. And if Elyon ascends the throne he will likely be imprisoned.

The portal swirled and he found himself near some sort of carnival. Music can be heard, there were some rides and some other kinds of games. The entrance of the location is just visible in their current place so he can see who comes in and out.

His lips formed a cunning smile as he saw Elyon and a boy with fiery hair going inside. But it quickly turned into a frown as he saw the guardians following them. They know! Vathek must have reached them before he can. An idea struck his head. This won't be difficult. He just needs to make Elyon lose her trust to the guardians and keep her away from them; hopefully it's not that hard as it seems.

He signalled the lurden and the larvec to follow him to the carnival, once they were inside the area, he waited for the right moment to talk to Elyon but the stupid guardians were trailing behind her and the boy.

"I can't get close to her with them around. I need a diversion." He told the larvec and the lurdent. They nodded and quickly disappeared.

He was about to follow Elyon when someone called him.

"Cedric!" Even if he doesn't turn he already knew who the owner of the voice was. He glanced over his shoulder and saw Avery who was radiant as always behind her was a young man; he estimates that they were just the same age, when you talk about her Earth age of course.

"Avery. Good to see you." He smiled at her. Bad timing. How can he focus on his job when the woman he loves is here? The young man behind her was staring at him; his eyes seem to be studying him. Was this her boyfriend? His heart seemed to be squeezed at the mere thought. However this guy won't even last a minute with Phobos, if the prince knows about this.

"You with someone?" She asked. He shook his head and Avery's smile widen and somewhat shows that she was relieved. Then Avery must have realized that she's with someone. "Oh. Sorry, Cedric this is Matt, he is my friend. Matt this Cedric, he is a bookstore owner." She said as she introduced him to the guy behind her. _Friend?_ Maybe more like a special friend or special someone to him. He was jealous.

"Glad to meet you." Cedric said and held out his hand to Matt. Matt took it and squeezed it hard.

"Nice to meet you too." He said. Aha. He hinted jealousy in the guy's action. The handshake lasted a little more than a minute before Matt finally let go of his hand. "I need to go." Matt then turned to Avery, his face was dark. His heart almost cheered when he heard that but he quickly scolded himself. He was here for Elyon not for Avery. Matt left, leaving him and Avery alone.

"So, how are you?" Avery asked. Hopefully the larvec and lurden have kept the guardians in company. He needs to settle with Avery first.

"I'm fine. How about you?" He asked. Man. This was really hard. He can't possibly do love and duty at the same time.

"I'm good." She answered and they fell silent. Why of all places and timing, why now? He wanted to ask her. He already risked his life to protect her existence (or he just did it out of love) but then this girl choose to pop up at the exact time he has a mission. Could his day even get worse?

And it was about to get worst as he saw the rebel leader coming on their way. Without any words he quickly grabbed Avery's hand and ran towards the nearest ride he can find.

"Wait!" Avery said as she tried to keep up with him. When they stopped she was panting, it was somehow a long run. He looked at her and noticed that her face was heavily blushed and she looks so cute, memories of the past came back rushing to him. It was sometime after Avery confessed her true feelings for him.

" _You love me?" His eyes widen at her revelation. She loves him! When? How? He wanted to ask. But he was so shocked with her confession that it took him time before he can speak. She was just looking down, somehow embarrassed by what she has done. She nodded in response to his question. He held her hands and she slowly lifted her head and glanced at him._

 _"_ _How? When?" He echoed his thoughts. Impossible. How did she fell in love with him? All these time he thought that Avery was somehow infatuated with Phobos. But now his mind was so confused with what she said._

 _"_ _I loved you ever since we met and after my parents took you, I loved you even more. I never wanted to marry Phobos. I never wanted to become a queen, a princess or a duchess. I wanted to be with you." She said. How on Metamoor can an eleven year old girl know these kinds of words? She was still young and he bets that she doesn't really understand what love is._

 _"_ _No. No. No. You're just confused. I have been with you in a short while. You're just infatuated with me." He said trying to clear the confusion but tears fell from her eyes._

 _"_ _I knew it. You won't believe me. I love you Ced. I do." She said as she moved her hand to touch his face. The same tingling feeling that he felt the first time she did this was there again. It sent gentle volts of electricity throughout his body._

 _This girl. She loves him. If it was true then maybe he should also tell her his true feelings._

 _"_ _I love you too." He then confessed without thinking. There was no use of keeping it as they felt the same. His feelings weren't unrequited. Avery stopped sobbing and looked at him, her eyes questioning. Asking for confirmation of what he just said. "I love you too; I have loved you the first time we met." He said as he gently stroked her cheek. Funny that they both fell for each other at the same time._

 _But then, this relationship won't be fruitful. He knows that if Avery's parents will know about their feelings for each other she will be disowned. She will lose her family, her honour, her wealth, her land and status. And he can't provide her with anything. He was just a penniless man._

 _"_ _You know that your parents will disown you if they know this right? You are already betrothed to Phobos." He told her, she nodded._

 _"_ _I know. I don't have feelings with that arrogant boy! I don't even like him! He thinks that he is so perfect and handsome but he is not! He is a cruel person!" He was shocked by her words and almost laughed at her admission. He never thought that Avery actually hates Phobos. Well, he was the only one who can tolerate his attitude, that's why Phobos likes him._

 _"_ _Don't say that in front of him. He will likely punish you." He joked. Avery frowned._

 _"_ _You'll say that to him?" She asked. He laughed and shook his head. So naïve. Yet it was the reason why he likes her. Their gazes then met and he felt that her purple eyes are somehow melting him. He just wanted to stay like this forever. Avery smiled at him and quickly gave him a smack on the lips which took him in surprise. But before she can move her head away, he hurriedly captured her lips, his hand moved to the back of her head to keep her in place._

 _She gave out a soft gasp and it gave way for his tongue to enter her soft lips, tasting and licking her wet cavern. He then nibbled her lower lip and she gave out a soft moan. At first she wasn't responding, it was her first kiss so does not know what to do, but after a few seconds she started responding to his kiss, slowly at first until she was able to keep up with his pace._

 _Something stirred inside him. He wanted more. But not now. She was still young and he does not want stain her purity. They only let go of each other when they were already running out of breath. He smiled as he saw her heavily stained face and her swollen lips._

 _"_ _D-does this mean that were l-like a c-couple?" She stuttered as she caught her breath._

 _"_ _Yes." He quickly said and pulled her towards his chest. His heart was just filled with happiness that he almost forgot that he will need to go to the capital tomorrow and he will stay there for almost a year._

 _"_ _I will miss you." It was the second time that she said that._

 _"_ _I know. I will miss you too." He said and he kissed her forehead. He will surely miss her so badly._

 _"_ _Promise me that you'll write to me often." She said as she looked to his eyes. The expression of her eyes seems to mirror his._

 _"_ _Of course. I will." His lips found hers again and shared a passionate kiss._

"Uhhm. Ceddie?" His mind froze when he heard what she just called him. _Ceddie?_ It was her nickname for him. Does she remember? "Sorry. Uh. Cedric?" She said again, her tone was a bit of surprise, like she was surprised that she called him that.

"Yes?" He asked.

"Why are we here?" She asked, her forehead creased. Right. He just dragged her nowhere without any explanations.

"Do you want to ride or something?" He asked trying to make it casual. He doesn't want her to know that he is running away from the rebel leader who was now with the guardians. That was why they are having a hard time finding him; he was here on Earth, maybe hiding in one of the guardians' house.

"Is this like a date?" She suddenly asked and then nodded, his eyes widen, it was one of her mannerism, and she always does that when she was embarrassed. He bets that her face was now heavily tinted. He just gave out a wide smile.

"Yes. It's a date." He answered, Avery looked up and her violet eyes were sparkling like stars and her lips formed into a sweet smile. His heart started beating rapidly. They haven't seen each other after fourteen years yet she still makes his knees weak. He asked Avery what ride she wants to try first before going to the ticket booth. In the back of his mind, he was feeling nervous, what if the guardians defeated the larvec and the lurden? What if Elyon already knew? He sighed.

* * *

 _Everything was silent except for the loud rumbling sound of the thunder. After a few minutes the guards stationed at the Queen's chamber will change and Cedric took a deep breath before finally concentrating. Shape-shifting as another person, individual or another creature was a hard thing. Learning it will take years to perfect but lucky for him, it only took him a month. And it wasn't an easy task; he broke a lot of bones and injured himself in the process._

 _Yet because he was already a Naga and they strong healing abilities it made things a lot easier. And he badly needed to learn it as soon as possible. The war broke out a few months ago and after his parents' capture, Phobos sat on the throne. However his title was still "Prince" and not yet king. He can only change that if he becomes the heart of Metamoor, and he isn't. The powers of the heart of the land only belong to the firstborn female members of the family._

 _And somebody already owns the power, Phobos' younger sister. It was one month ago that they found out about the Queen's pregnancy and it was a girl she was carrying. It caused chaos but it was quickly subdued by Phobos' supporters. Rebellion began yet even without his sister's power, Phobos' power was strong enough to stop them. His ability to drain the life force of others and convert it to power gave him this big advantage._

 _The Queen and Consort were now in grave danger. He felt pity for them; Phobos was slowly draining the Queen's life force as hers was equal to thousands of men because of her current position as the heart of Metamoor._

 _After knowing about the Queen's pregnancy, he quickly and secretly sent a raven to Wayfort to inform Lady Agatha about it so that they can do something. Lady Agatha quickly sent a reply, telling him that the Queen and Consort must be secretly shipped to West Nubar without Phobos' knowledge and he must need to help them as they don't have any friend in the capital. Phobos supporters will turn on them soon._

 _However he needed time to help them; he will need to learn how to shape-shift. That way his identity won't be revealed and he will be safe. He found an old sorcerer in the depths of the Meridian forest. The old man was one of Queen Weira's supporters. When the man found out about the situation he was glad to help saying that it would be an honour to help the Queen and the Consort before he perishes from the land._

 _But magic always comes with a price, for payment, the sorcerer made him his apprentice thus he was able to learn a lot of magic tricks aside from shape-shifting._

 _The shifting was now complete and he transformed into one of the guard creatures of the castle. He took a deep breath first before he went into the door of Queen Weira and Consort Zanden's room._

 _"_ _Change of guards." He said in a deep voice. The guard nodded and quickly went away. When he was sure that there was no one around he quickly went inside. He found the Queen and Consort standing on the balcony. Even if they tried to escape, Phobos had set up a binding spell so that they can't get away._

 _"_ _Queen Weira, Consort Zanden." He said as he went in. The two looked at him, their eyes were full of fear. "No. Don't be afraid. It's Cedric; I just learned a few tricks in shape shifting. Lady Agatha sent me." He quickly said. The two were still confused, with a sigh he transformed into his real self._

 _"_ _Cedric! It's too dangerous!" Queen Weira said. He shook his head._

 _"_ _No. You should go. This land is in danger and the only hope is that child you are carrying. You must go." He said. Consort Zanden gave him a supporting look and turned to his wife._

 _"_ _We must go." The consort told her._

 _"_ _But our son!" She exclaimed. He and Consort Zanden sighed at the same time. The Queen still thinks that there is hope for her son._

 _"_ _It's useless Weira. Phobos' won't change. Even if we use Avery to persuade him we won't be sure if he will listen or not!" Zanden said to his wife who was still battling with her thoughts. Cedric with his heightened sense of hearing felt that someone was outside the door and it might be a guard._

 _"_ _We must hurry!" He almost shouted at the Queen. After a few seconds she nodded. Phobos' spell was only intended to negate the Queen's powers so anyone with magic can still break- in the spell. He closed his eyes as he converted his energy as force. A blinding light flashed and the three of them were now inside the great hall of Wayfort castle, surprising Lady Agatha and Lord Sebastian._

 _"_ _Cedric!" They both shrieked as they saw him. Lady Agatha came to hug him before going to her friend. He left them to talk and went around to check on Avery. They haven't seen each other for months and he missed her so much. Unlike Meridian, West Nubar was currently sunny and bright; it means that Phobos' power is still not strong enough. And it relieved him. He asked some guards and handmaidens and they told him that Avery was nowhere to be found._

 _The lake! He thought. Avery was in the lake and he quickly went there to confirm._

 _He was right. She was there, sitting on top of a rock, her eyes were focused on the clear blue waters. She winced as she felt another presence. She slowly turned to his direction._

 _"_ _Cedric!" She happily exclaimed and ran towards him, tackling him with a hug and they both fell on the grass. She laughed as she kissed his face. She must have missed him that much! Well, he misses her too._

 _"_ _I missed you!" She said. He smiled before kissing her. "Why are you here?" She then asked._

 _"_ _I accompanied the Queen and Consort here. They escaped from Phobos." He answered. Her face creased._

 _"_ _How can you come here fast?" she asked. She doesn't know about him learning to wield powers. He sighed._

 _"_ _It's a long story. What's important is I'm here with you and you are safe." He told her and claimed her lips again. As always, kissing her felt like heaven. When they stopped he slowly studied her face._

 _The past sixteen years have been so good to her, she grew up as a slender young woman, her face became a little bit mature but her other features even improved. Yet it was still the same silver hair and purple eyes that gave her away._

 _They stood up and Avery playfully ran from him, he ran to catch her and they both fell into the water. Avery transformed as a Naiad and she started glowing. He smiled at the sight of her. She was a goddess!_

 _"_ _You sure you're not disgusted with my Naiad form?" She asked. He shook his head. How would he be disgusted? She was a very beautiful Naiad. "You're kidding me." She then added._

 _"_ _Of course not. You're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen." He said before claiming her lips again. This time it was a very passionate and hot kiss. Her Naiad form woke his desire for her. Avery gave out a moan of pleasure and it made him ask for more and she responded to the pace and intensity of his kisses. His lips moved to her neck and Avery gasped, her eyes closed in pleasure. He stopped._

 _"_ _If you won't stop me, this will lead to another thing." He said. He needs to be sure first before doing what he wanted to do for a long time now. To make her his. Avery gently shook her head and reached for his face._

 _"_ _I want this Ced." She said and this time initiated the kiss._

 _They laid there on the soft grass, naked. Avery was laying her head on his chest playing while playing with his hair that was splayed on his chest. He sighed. What happened earlier was so wonderful and it felt so good. He did his best to be gentle as it was Avery's first time and he didn't want to hurt her. Good thing that this part of the forest was secluded, it would be a scandal if someone caught them, thinking that Avery was still engaged to Phobos._

 _"_ _My parents are thinking of breaking my engagement to Phobos after what happened." She said as if reading his thoughts._

 _"_ _He will be angry if you do. He is the most powerful man in Metamoor right now and he is in love with you." He said as he looked at her eyes. It didn't register fear only determination. Like she wants to fight._

 _"_ _And I'm not in love with him. There is one man that I love and it's you." She said as she reached for his lips. He smiled. However he only planned for the worst, he and Lady Agatha already talked about what they must do if something bad happens. When the time comes he needs to let go of Avery. It's painful but he needs to do it. For Avery's safety._

 _"_ _I love you too." He said before kissing her forehead. He will miss her. He needs to go back to the castle to be an undercover and then after that he'll be assigned to Northern Meridian. Phobos won't know his part on the Queen and Consort's escape. He then noticed a tear escape Avery's eye._

 _"_ _Why are you crying?" he asked softly. Avery sat up and he followed her, she turned away from him. "Avery?"_

 _"_ _This war. I don't know what will happen. What if Phobos knows that you're working with us and helped his parents escape? And what if he knows about us? He'll kill you Ced. He will." She said, her eyes turn red as she cried. He gently touched her chin and slowly turned her face towards him. His fingers brushed the tears as it falls from her eyes._

 _"_ _Hush love. I'll be fine. Don't worry about me." He said and as he tried to comfort her._

 _"_ _I don't want to lose you Cedric."_

 _"_ _I don't want to lose you too." He answered. He sighed. Maybe he should tell her what Lady Agatha has planned. "There's something I need to tell you."_

 _"_ _What?" She asked, her voice sounded a bit worried. He took a deep breath before speaking._

 _"_ _Once Phobos will know that the Queen and the Consort disappeared, they'll surely suspect that your family is keeping them. They'll turn on you and might name your family as a traitor. His counsel will surely advise him to kill your household, given that you are the only family left that is still supporting the Queen." He started. "When that happens, your mother will need to send you away. Far away. Where Phobos can't reach you."_

 _"_ _W-what do you mean?" she asked confused._

 _"_ _You will be sent to another dimension with the Queen's daughter. So that you'll be safe." He said painfully. Avery's eyes widen._

 _"_ _No. I won't leave you here! I won't go without you or mother and father! I won't!" She shrieked. He already expected this to happen. It was hard yet there are things that they'll need to sacrifice._

 _"_ _There is no other choice. I need to stay here. If Phobos knows that I went with you, he'll have the idea that we have a relationship and would probably hunt for us. I need to stay here to prevent that from happening and to save the people of West Nubar." He explained. Avery shook her head in disagreement._

 _"_ _I won't leave you!" She said stubbornly. He sighed._

 _"_ _Look at me Gabrielle." Avery stopped to look at him when he called her by her pet name; her real name was Avery Denise Gabrielle von Heinrich. To all, she was just Lady Avery but to people close to her she was Avery Gabrielle. "I will still be with you. Here." He said as he touched the part of her chest where her heart was. He can feel it beating rapidly._

 _"_ _I will miss you." She said as she hugged him. He flicked his hand and necklace with a star pendant adorned with Amethyst gems appeared. Avery gasped. "How did you do that?" She asked in surprise. He just smiled at her and put the necklace on her neck. "It's beautiful." She said as she touched it._

 _"_ _This necklace will protect you when you travel to another dimension. Keep it safe." He said before kissing her lips again. "I will always love you." He murmured._

 _He personally made the necklace with the help of his new knowledge of sorcery. He added some enhancements to keep the owner safe. It may be minor but it will keep her safe on earth and it will also prevent Phobos from taking her as he added a spell of passing. Phobos can't force her to come back to Metamoor without her own consent. Aside from that, it will also suppress her Naiad form so that the other creatures from the dimension she will go won't see her real form. He sighed. He hopes that everything will be over quickly._

* * *

 _*Contains scenes from Season 1 Episode 12: The Princess Revealed_

 _A/N What do you think? I think I have overused the *sigh* word a bit. Sorry, English is not my mother language so it's not really as good as others. Anyway if you like this story hit Follow or Favorite and don't forget to review! Phobos demands it or you'll be thrown in the Abyss of Shadows! LOL_


	7. Chapter 6: Affections

_**The Serpent and the Maiden Fair Chapter 6**_

 ** _Important Announcement!:_ To all Star Wars and WITCH fans, your wait is over! I'm in the middle of writing the first Star Wars & WITCH crossover so hold your horses! I'll be posting the fic on January (I already finished the first two chapters) and it's a PhobosxCornelia fic. :3 :3 (** _Special thanks again to my best friend here, Sasha, who inspired and suggested to write this fic.)_

 **I can't promise that it's really a great fic but well I can always write what I want right? Anyway aside from that Happy New Year everyone! I hope you all start this 2016 with a bang!**

 **Anyway, this is a crappy chapter but I hope that you guys will enjoy reading it! Have fun!**

* * *

Cedric stayed _for another hour before he decided to go back to the military academy. It was a good thing that it was an hour's ride to the Royal Palace so Phobos won't notice his absence. He bade his goodbye to Avery who was still begging him no to go but he kissed her forehead and told him that everything will be fine and he will send her messages. It somehow calmed her but he was still worried._

 _He already told the Heinrichs' to bring the Queen and Consort to a safe-house and tell their servants to keep their presence there as a secret. He just needs to give Phobos a diversion to keep him away from Wayfort. They need to keep the Queen until she gives birth, according to their history; the Queen must and should give birth in Metamoor as giving birth to another world or dimension will negate the Princess' powers._

 _Tough job._

 _He sighed and gave one more look at Wayfort, but before he can teleport Lady Agatha showed up._

 _"_ _Cedric. Honey." Lady Agatha called as she went near him._

 _"_ _Lady Agatha." He replied. She was smiling at him as she came near. She placed a hand on his shoulder._

 _"_ _I'm thankful that I have found you. You gave me and Sebastian happiness, thank you for being the son we never had. And I can't thank you enough for saving Avery in the past." She said as her eyes were filled with tears._

 _"_ _I know how you feel about Avery and I'm very sorry if you can't continue your relationship. Phobos is a twisted and dangerous man. We all know about his feelings for Avery and he won't stop until he makes her his. For your safety you must sacrifice these feelings. I don't want to lose the both of you." She continued. He sighed. Of course she feels that way and he already did what he must. He took something from his pocket and placed it on Agatha's hands._

 _"_ _The Leryn solution?" She said as soon as she saw it._

 _"_ _Yes. I was able to conjure the potion but I also added other ingredients. It does not only erases the memories of the person who will use it but it will also reverse their aging. Base on the ingredients I added in it, it will make return the person to three years old. Use it for Avery, there is a possibility that she can't come back anymore. I uh. I-I wanted her to f-forget." He choked on the last words. Aside from being away from her, making her lose her memory is also hard. He does not want that to happen and he knows Avery wouldn't want that too but it was a safe option in case Avery won't come back._

 _"_ _Are you sure you want to do this? She'll forget about you." The woman was worried._

 _"_ _Her memories will but I hope her heart will still remember me." He answered. They said their goodbyes and the teleported back to the academy._

* * *

"This is so fun!" Avery screamed as they went to ride a roller coaster. Cedric just smiled at her. They were roaming around the carnival for thirty minutes and they almost rode everything that's in store. He must admit that she was the best person to have as company. She a really good sense of humour and really adventurous. Those thirty minutes already made him feel like his out of breath.

After a few minutes of twist and turns, they already stopped and he felt really queasy. It was his first and last time to ride that damned roller coaster. It made him dizzy. He stopped in the nearby railing to rest.

"You're feeling sick! Man you are so lame!" Avery joked as his face almost turned paler than before. She then poked him on the stomach making him feel sicker. When Avery realized what she has done she immediately apologized.

"Don't worry. It's just that I haven't tried this ride before." He confessed. Avery's eyes widen and her mouth formed an "oh".

"Really. That's weird. Then you had a lame childhood." She said again. _Yeah. I grew up with you._ He thought.

"I was sickly when I was a child so I haven't really enjoyed a lot." He lied. Avery just listened to him, she must have bought the lie he made. Then she excused herself to the comfort room. He waited there and his lips formed a cunning smile as he saw Elyon.

"Elyon! I haven't seen you in the bookstore lately." He said as he came near her.

"Hi! I come in to pour my heart out when things are bad but tonight, I'm having a great time!" She exclaimed and glanced at the fiery haired guy buying tickets on the counter. He followed his glance and studied the guy with his purple eyes.

"I'm glad to hear that." He answered. Elyon excused herself and went to the boy. After a few seconds they started walking away and Elyon turned to wave at him.

"Hey. Who are you talking to?" He turned to see Avery running towards him. He just smiled at her.

"Oh. Just a friend." He replied. Avery just smiled and asked him what he wants to do next. They enjoyed the rest of the carnival until Avery told him that she was tired.

"I had a great time Ced." She said. _Ced?_ Again that was another nickname she gave him in Metamoor.

"Yes. Me too." He said before giving her a kiss on the cheek which caught her in surprise. She gasped softly and blushed. He then gently moved the hair that was covering her face.

"Oh!" Avery exclaimed as something got caught on her hair strands, she checked it and he almost gasped when he saw the amethyst necklace sparkling on her fingers.

"Where did you get that?" He immediately asked.

"Oh. This one? I have this since I was young. My mother said that it was some kind of talisman given by my uncle. She said to never take it off." Avery quickly replied. He smiled. It was good that she followed her mother's advice. The necklace was especially made for her to protect her from harm.

"It's pretty." He said. Avery just smiled. Then she checked her watch.

"Oh no! I almost forgot about the band practice! Sorry but I need to go Ced." She said, she reached for his cheek and gave it a quick smack and hurriedly ran away. He was left there, standing like an idiot as his eyes followed her. Wait. Why is he still there? He ran to follow her.

"Cedric!" She said surprised. It was already late and she wanted to make sure that she is safe on her way to her band practice.

"Is it okay if I walk you to wherever you are going?" He asked. Avery just smiled.

"O-Of course, it is. The guys won't really mind." She answered. _Guys? What guys?_ She is going late at night to be with guys?

"Guys?" He stopped walking. Avery turned to see him.

"Yes. Guys. I'll go to Matt's place to watch their practice." She answered.

"And you are the only female there?" He asked again. Avery nodded. "Do you realize that it is not safe to go to a man's house late at night and you're the only female?" His voice rose without noticing. Avery winced.

"It's okay. I have been watching their band practice ever since."

"And do you also realize that you are going to the house of a man who likes you?" He waited for a reaction of surprise but it didn't come.

"I know." She answered.

"What!?" He said surprised. This girl is going to the house of a man who likes her and she knows?

"I know that he likes me, he confessed to me." She said. It shocked him. "Well, it's not only him who likes me, Peter too but I told them that I only like them as brothers. Case closed." She added. Then she went near him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't be jealous." Her tone was teasing.

"I'm not jealous." He told her. It was a lie of course. He was jealous.

"Of course you aren't. We're not couples. We're just uh... I don't know." She started walking, no she was running away. "I need to go. Let's just talk next time." She said before disappearing. He wants to follow her but she was nowhere in sight. He just sighed as he started walking towards the bookstore. Maybe he should just arrange things there.

He took the key from his back pocket and reached for the door, he turned on the light and looked around for things he can fix. He was in the middle of unpacking some biology related books when the door opened. He quickly went to the counter to check it out.

"Cedric? Can I talk to you?" Standing in front of him was Elyon. Her eyes were filled with tears.

"Always."

* * *

From a distance, Avery watched as Cedric started walking away. She was hiding from a corner, still catching her breath after she ran away from him. They just had a really awkward conversation. They were not a couple or any sort but then they went out on a date and she felt that Cedric was somewhat jealous of Matt. She sighed and started walking towards Matt's house, trying not to think about what just happened earlier.

The garage door was open and Wreck55 was there tuning in their instruments while there other friends were watching. Peter ran to her as soon as he noticed her.

"Hey." She said as soon as he was close. Peter's face was somewhat creased.

"Matt said that you were with another guy." He said panting. Right. Cedric, Matt went away after she introduced the both of them to each other. She nodded.

"How come you never told me?" He asked. What? So it's like her responsibility now to tell him and Matt about her love life. What are they? Girls?

"I'm sorry okay. Besides Cedric was just an acquaintance. Matt just left me there with him."

"Yeah. An acquaintance." She turned as soon as she heard Matt's voice. His expression was gloomy. She raised her eyebrow.

"What's your problem?" He was acting so weird. Was it him who asked her about what kind of guy she likes just a few days ago then now he is acting like he was her boyfriend or something. Ugh. It wasn't good. She always hates guys acting like that but then he was her best friend for five years. She knows that Matt maybe concerned but not to the extent.

"My problem is you Avery. You barely knew the guy yet you went with him." He said, his voice was now raised. Her eyes widened.

"Went with him!? It was you who left me remember?" Now she was angry. She was sure that her nostrils were now flaring in anger.

"It's still the same, you never followed me you just went with him and he even kissed you in the cheek!" She and Peter gasped at the same time. He followed her and Cedric!

"You followed us! How dare you!" She shouted in anger, pointing her finger at him. She never wanted anyone to follow her. It was invasion of privacy!

"I wanted to make sure that you were safe!" He shouted in return. The other members of Wreck went to their direction some were holding Matt while Peter and Nigel were holding her.

"Let go! I'm not a man, I won't punch him!" She said annoyingly and the two men let go of her. "You know what I'm tired of you acting like your some kind of knight and I'm a fragile damsel in distress. I'm leaving. Don't talk to me again." She said and started walking away. She can hear Peter and the others calling her.

She doesn't know what to do and she has no idea where she would go. Her eyes were filled with tears as she started walking in the dark alley. First there was Cedric, acting so strange and not even confirming what kind of relationship they had or no, she ran away before he can say anything so technically it was her fault. Anyway moving on, there was Matt, acting so high and mighty like he was some sort of guard in her castle.

She knows that he cares and that he loves her but then that was the reason why she kept herself from falling for him. She doesn't want to stain their friendship. If they broke up what would happen to their five years of being friends?

She gasped as she felt raindrops falling. It was raining and she didn't bring any jackets or umbrella! Worse is that there were no nearby shed she can stay for a while. She started running. Looking for some familiar stores she can stay in. She stopped as soon as she saw the familiar sign of the bookstore from a far.

The light was on so Cedric might still be there. She quickly went to grab the door handle hoping that it was open. And voila. It was. She sighed in relief. She was soaked from head to toe and she was freezing!

"Is anyone there?" She heard his voice call. His form appeared from the shadows and his face quickly showed worry when he saw her, wet from head to toe. "What happened to you?" He asked in concern.

"Walked through the rain. Duh." She said as she hugged herself. Cedric ran towards the other side of the store and went back in a sec, he had a towel on his hand and he quickly wrapped it around her.

"You need to change. I have extra clothes here." He said. She nodded not wanting to argue. He escorted her to a sort of office. She was surprised to see how neat it was. There were some boxes of books that were still unopened and there were shelves of some other old books there. Cedric led her to the bathroom where she entered and started washing herself with hot water, Cedric knocked at the door and was telling her that he will just leave the clothes outside and that he will stay on the store to give her time to change.

After a few minutes of enjoying a hot bath, she went out to find a loose white t-shirt and pants; she raised her eyebrow as she looked at the jeans, it was not a man's jeans but for a woman, which was weird. Why would Cedric have this kind of pants? Does he have a wife or a girlfriend?

She tried on the t-shirt and it was somehow oversized for her but it was okay, the next was the pants and she was surprised to see that it fit her perfectly. It was weird. She continued to dry her hair for a while before going out to check on him.

The light hit her body and she realized that her breasts were somehow visible! Her face reddened and she quickly wrapped her arms around her chest to cover it as she walked towards Cedric.

He was busy lowering the blinds of the windows when she came. He looked at her and his face confused when he saw her arms around her chest. Damn. This was so awkward. How can see even ask for something to cover it!? She was practically walking around with no underwear!

"I uh. It's you know. Uhmm. My bu, my b-ruh got wet." She stuttered. Cedric raised his eyebrow like he didn't understand the words she was saying. "My bra got wet!" She said quickly and looked down in embarrassment. Cedric sighed and went back to the office. When he returned he was already carrying a jacket.

"Here." He then helped her with the jacket so that she can still cover her chest. After they successfully put on the jacket, he bent down to zip it up. Their lips almost met when he reached the upper part. She let out a soft gasp and absentmindedly closed her eyes, waiting for his lips to claim hers. It didn't happen but he felt his cold lips pressed on her forehead. "It's getting late. You should go home." She felt that her cheeks heated afterwards.

"What about my clothes?" She asked. Oh! Her underwear and bra! So embarrassing!

"It's okay. I'll just wash them." Oh no. No he can't do that! It will be awkward for her! "I insist." He then said. She sighed. There was no use in arguing. Before she can say anything her phone rang. She looked at Cedric first before answering it.

"Avery Denise Gabrielle! Where are you?" Her mom's worried voice was soon heard on the line. She sighed her mom would only call her by her very long first name when she was worried.

"I'm at the bookstore Mom. It rained so I needed a place to stay for a while." She answered.

"Is that the same bookstore where Elyon works part-time?" Her mother asked. What? She didn't know that.

"Uhmm. Yes?" She said. She can hear her mother sigh.

"I was just checking on you. Matt called earlier asking if you were already home. He sounded worried. You should call him." Her mother said before the line was cut. There was no way she's gonna call Matt after the incident.

"Your mother?" Cedric asked as soon as she returned the phone on the pocket of the pants she borrowed. She nodded. "You should go home. I'll call you a cab." He said before grabbing an umbrella and going out of the bookstore. After a few minutes, he went back. The lights of the cab were visible through the door. She went out with Cedric. He opened the door for her and she went in quickly before she can close it, Cedric caught her lips with a quick smack which surprised her, her heart almost jumped out of her chest.

"Take care. Call me when you get home. Here." He handed her a small piece of paper with his phone number. She nodded and closed the door. She could see Cedric still watching the cab as the driver drove away.

When she reached their house, the lights were already off so she tip toed silently up to her room. She lied on her bed as soon as she arrived. She can smell Cedric's scent linger on the jacket she was wearing. It made her blush. Today was a mixture of good and bad but then something great happened. Cedric even gave her his number.

Wait! His number! He told her to text him as soon as she arrives home. She took the phone out again and started hitting the keypads.

' _Hi. This is Avery. I'm already home._ ' She clicked "Send" and waited for his reply. Her phone beeped and she started reading the text.

 _'_ _Hello Avery. Good to know you're safe. Get some rest now. :*.'_ Her mouth widened and she covered it with her hand. She started biting her finger because of happiness. _:*?_ It's like a kiss right? Does this mean they are some sort of couple now? She stared at the screen again thinking about a possible reply but nothing came.

 _'_ _Thanks for helping. Good night.'_ That was all she can manage to think about and hit send. She stared at the screen to wait for a reply. It took longer than before and she was getting anxious! She started jumping up and down and curled herself in a fetal position while waiting.

It took almost one minute and thirty seconds before he replied but for Avery it almost seemed like forever.

' _Good night princess. Sleep well.'_ It said. She wanted to shout as she read his message. It sent tingles on her bones down to her toes! She can't think of a reply anymore so she just left it. She opened her closet and took some comfortable clothing before going back to bed; she took Cedric's jacket and put it near her pillow so she can smell his scent. It may look weird but his scent somewhat calms her nerves. She thought of Cedric before falling into a deep sleep not knowing that someone was watching her while she dreams.

* * *

*Chapter contains scenes from Season 1 Episode 12: The Princess Revealed

A/N: Next update will probably be posted next week or two weeks from now.

What do you think about this crappy chapter? LOL. Let me know in the reviews and don't forget to hit favorite or follow!


	8. Chapter 7

_**The Serpent and The Maiden Fair Chapter 7**_

I just realized that I posted the wrong chapter earlier! I'm very sorry! Anyway, I hope you enjoy this new chapter, sorry if the update's a bit late!

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 _The night was dark and there were no stars visible on the sky, not even the moon. It was very cold and you can hear a lot of wolves howling from the forests of West Nubar. It looks like a bad omen. Like something bad was coming._

 _The rustle of the silk taffeta from Avery's gown can be heard, she was running around the castle as she heard the loud scream of the Queen. It was time. Any moment now, the Queen will give birth and Phobos will attack._

 _'_ _Cedric, where are you?' She thought. His last message said that he was in Northern Meridian, assigned as a commander. He was safe there from Phobos but then they weren't. Phobos and his army can pop up any minute to kill the Queen._

 _She walked in circles while taking deep breaths. Is this her end? No, Phobos will not harm her like what the others said but she'd rather die than marry him._

 _Cedric told him few months ago that she'll need to go when the time comes along with the Queen's daughter. They will go to another world where they can safely live. But she can't bear to leave her family here to die._

 _She can't bear to leave Cedric here but she has no choice._

 _She returned to her room and instead pack some important things, her mother's heirloom jewels that were centuries old and was passed to her, clothes, and Cedric's letters to her. She tried to bring fewer things as possible._

 _A few minutes passed and the screams went down, a loud tap on her door can then be heard. She rushed to open it and it revealed her mother and the baby. Her mother quickly went inside her room._

 _"_ _It's time Avery." She said. It's time. It's time to go without even saying goodbye to the man she loves. Her eyes were filled with tears. It will be the last time that she sees her parents._

 _"_ _I don't want to go Mother." Avery said as she looked at her mother' eyes. They were both in tears._

 _"_ _Honey. You have too. Remember what Cedric said." Her mother said as she hugged her. The baby on her arms squirmed._

 _"_ _Oh! She is so cute! What's her name?" For a moment Avery forgot that they were at war._

 _"_ _She still has no name Avery." Her mother replied as she held the baby. Oh! She had an idea._

 _"_ _Oh! Can I name her?" She asked her mother, her eyes sparkled to plead her case._

 _"_ _Of course, I think the Queen won't really mind."_

 _"_ _Elyon. Her name is Elyon." Avery said. Elyon was some kind of religious name that means God the highest. She learned it from her history lessons._

 _"_ _That's a good name. Princess Elyon." Her mother said as she cooed the small baby on her arms. Avery watched in awe. She always wanted to have a brother or a sister. "She'll be your sister Avery."_

 _Her forehead cringed._

 _"_ _You two will be sent to Earth with Alborn and Miriadel, they will pose as your parents and the Princess will be your sister." Her mother explained. Oh._

 _"_ _Why can't you and Father come with us? I don't want to be a daughter of another people! I only want you as parents!"_

 _"_ _Avery. We already talked about this. We can't leave our responsibilities here."_

 _"_ _B-but…" She broke down in tears. She can't do it. She can't leave them here. Agatha placed Elyon on her bed and started brushing her tears away._

 _"_ _We will always be with you in your dreams honey." Her mother said and kissed her forehead. Another knock on the door can be heard. It opened and revealed a man and a woman, Alborn and Miriadel, the captains of the Queensguard._

 _"_ _It's time milady!" Alborn said, Miriadel came in to get the baby. Her mother handed it to her and the baby started squirming._

 _"_ _Be careful. You need to get as far away here before opening a fold to Earth." Agatha instructed the captain. Miriadel nodded to her as she took the baby. "Her name is Elyon."_

 _"_ _What a beautiful name." Miriadel said as she looked at the baby. It was now sleeping soundly in her arms. Her mother turned to her._

 _"_ _It's time Avery." Her mother said as she put over a cloak over her head and body. "You mustn't look back. We will be safe. We'll see each other again soon." She said as she kissed her forehead. Avery's eyes were filled with tears again. It was time. She nodded. "I love you Avery." Her mother hugged her tightly before letting her go. "Go now!" Her mother pushed her._

 _She followed Miriadel and Alborn outside, a carriage was waiting for them. Miriadel went inside and she followed, Alborn on the other hand went to the driver's area and signalled the horse to run._

 _After a few minutes they were on the way to the forest where they will make a fold to Earth, Miriadel turned to her while searching something from her pocket. She took something, a vial of some sort with pink liquid inside it._

 _"_ _You need to drink this milady." She said before giving it to her, she took the vial and looked at it with curiosity._

 _"_ _What's this?" She asked._

 _"_ _It's a potion to help you with the passing of dimensions." The captain replied. She didn't ask any more questions and drank the vial. Miriadel's worried face was the last thing she saw before she passed out._

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It was dark and cold.

She was there alone inside the dark room. She called for her parents but there was no answer. She sat up and started crying. She was scared. Scared of the dark and cold. The room then lit up and she found herself inside a large room in a castle. There was a big bed on the center of the room adorned with royal blue sheets. There different paintings of flowers and creatures. One in particular caught her eye; it was a painting of a girl. She was very beautiful. Her long hair was pastel blue and it reached her waist, her eyes were violet and it stared back at her, she was sitting on top of a rock. She touched it.

"Very beautiful." She muttered. She wondered who the girl on the painting was. She somehow looks very familiar to her. She looked around and saw a balcony, she went there and she saw a large lake surrounding the castle. The lake was clear and calm. She loved it. It seems cool to her eyes.

Then she saw two kids playing on the courtyard. One was a girl with silver blonde hair and the other was a boy with golden hair. They seem to be happy. She smiled as she looked at them. Everything was so nice up there, there were birds flying and chirping around. Butterflies transferring from flower to flower. And the sky, it was bright blue.

"So nice." She said. Then the scene changed. She was inside a carriage. She saw the girl on the painting in the castle but she looks so different, her hair was silver blonde instead of pastel blue. She was holding a vial with a pink liquid inside. She was talking to a woman in front of her who was holding a baby. She can't understand what they are saying.

Then the girl drank the liquid on the bottle and a bright light flashed. After a few seconds, the light went off and the girl wasn't there. There was a small child of three years old. Weird. What happened? She wanted to ask.

She closed her eyes, the child and the woman disappeared. No. She was the one who disappeared. She looked around, her fingers, her hands her feet they were different. She looked at the glass window of the carriage.

She gasped as she realized that she was the girl on the painting.

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The sound of the alarm woke Avery up.

She groaned and slammed it down. She sat up on her bed and looked around. She was in her room. She touched her head as it felt heavy.

The dream. It almost felt so realistic.

And weird. It was set in the medieval times again like the other dreams she had. What was the meaning of those dreams? She wanted to know. She had been hunted by those since she was young. Does it have any connection with her past? She wanted to talk to someone about it but she does not know what she would tell them.

She sighed and went to the bathroom. A hot bath will help her ease her mind and maybe help her forget the dream. Her mind drifted as she the hot water touched her hair.

The boy with blonde hair, another with straw blonde hair and the girl with pastel blue hair. Somehow the three were connected for sure.

She needs to find out who they were. Maybe she should go to a psychologist or maybe she could just talk to someone close to her. The name of the person popped into her mind.

' _Cedric!'_ Maybe she can talk to him. She hurriedly finished her bath and changed her clothes. She was now wearing a white pullover, black leggings and a brown knee high boots. A scarf was also rolled over her neck. Afterwards she went down and took bread from their pantry; she put on her sling bag and grabbed her umbrella before going out.

The weather was rather cold so her choice of outfit was perfect; she also brought an umbrella in case it rains again. She then started heading towards the direction of the bookstore. When she arrived the door was open and she immediately saw Cedric there. He was carrying some boxes with him.

"Hi." She said as soon as she entered. Cedric looked up and flashed a smile at her.

"Hello Avery. Can I help you?" He said as he smiled at her. She felt herself blush. His smile. Somehow it felt like it was only for her.

"Nothing. I just wanted to see you." She said shyly, it was the truth. She wanted to see him and maybe talk to him. She can't talk to Matt or Peter right now, it would probably be awkward. She then placed a loose strand of her hair at the back of her ear.

Cedric stood up and rub a towel on his hands. He then fixed his eyeglasses and looked at her.

"Hmm." He murmured, he stayed silent for a short while. "I don't really have anything important to do today so maybe I can spare time." She grinned at the statement. Then he started pulling down the blinds on the window display, she then started helping him. Afterwards he excused himself and went to his office to get something.

He came back with a coat on his arm. She went ahead of him outside and he followed locking the door of the bookstore behind him. He led her to a black car parked nearby. Before she can even grab the handle he already went to open the door, the action made her blush as his skin touched hers.

He closed the door afterwards and went to the driver's seat.

"Buckle up." He said as soon as he was inside. Oh. Where are they going?

"Where are we going?" She echoed her thoughts. Cedric started the car and started driving away.

"It's a surprise." He said. She looked out the window; they have passed several stores, buildings and houses but Cedric continued to drive until the outskirts of town.

"Uhhm. Are you sure that we are going on the right way?" She asked, worried that he might've forgotten the direction of the place they are headed.

"Don't worry. We are not lost. Just a few more minutes." He said. His eyes were focused on the road but his other hand reached for hers, he pressed it gently like he was trying to reassure her. She just gave him a soft smile even if he can't see it.

After a few more minutes they turned into a rocky road. There were a lot of trees surrounding the area like some sort of forest. Then the road became steep and she looked out to see that they were climbing a hill. She can see the Heatherfield Bridge from a far.

It took them ten minutes before they reached the top. Cedric's car stopped in front of an old rusty gate leading to big house. The place was surrounded by beautiful flowers and bushy trees. It was breath-taking.

Cedric then went near the gate, he took a key from his pocket and opened it, he signalled her to come inside.

"Whose place is this?" She asked him curiously as she followed him inside the compound.

"It's mine." Her mouth dropped. He was this rich!? Wow. "Welcome to Villa Ludmoore." He then said while spreading his arm. _Villa Ludmoore?_ The haunted mansion?

"Wait? You mean the Villa Ludmoore? This place is haunted!" She exclaimed but Cedric just chuckled and shook his head.

"It's only a rumour." He replied and then started walking to the door. She trailed behind him, still unsure about the whole thing. According to history, this Villa was owned by an alchemist named Jonathan Ludmoore, a guy who was so obsessed with the five elements, he lived alone in this villa without any servants because of his complicated experiments. But he just disappeared one day.

After that word spread that the place was haunted. No one dared to come near it or even buy it. Until this day maybe. She wondered what have got into Cedric when he bought this place. She followed him inside and was astonished with the interior décor. It almost looks like some sort of castle.

The furniture was top of the line, paintings of sceneries hang on the walls, and the windows were adorned by heavy curtains in green.

"Wow." She mouthed. Cedric just gave her a humble smile. "You live here?" She then asked.

"Yes. Welcome to my humble abode." He said as he showed her around. They went to the living room cum receiving area and she sank on the fluffy sofa.

"This place is magnificent. Did you buy it?" She asked again curiously. This house must have cost a fortune even if it was inhabited for a long time.

"No. I inherited it." She cocked one eyebrow with his reply. Inherited it? He must have read what she thought that he added his response. "I'm a descendant of Jonathan Ludmoore." He said to clarify himself. Oh! Wow. Cedric was a descendant of Jonathan Ludmoore?

"Oh. That's nice." It was all she can manage to say. She doesn't want to say anything that can offend him about his great-great something grandfather. She does not want to say that –oh, so you're the grandson of the crazy alchemist who just disappeared one night.

She was also tempted to ask him why he brought her here but she was shy to do so.

"I'll try to whip something from what I have here. In the mean time you can look around if you want. I'll call you when food is ready." He said as he head straight to the kitchen. She nodded and was about to go upstairs when he called her. "By the way, don't go to the basement. I haven't checked it yet so it might be very dusty and dirty." He added before disappearing again.

She headed straight to the grand staircase. _Wow! His great great-grandfather must have been very rich. This place is practically a palace._ She said as her hand trailed the railings of the staircase. She landed on the second floor and started roaming around, opening and closing doors as she passed by some rooms.

She reached the last room in the second floor, she felt something weird, like she was being dragged by some force to go inside. She turned the handle and it revealed a bedroom. Not just any bedroom, it was the bedroom in her dreams. The same tapestry, the same bed, the same paintings.

Her eyes search for one painting in particular, the one with her in pastel blue hair but it wasn't there. She sighed. Maybe it was just a coincidence or maybe her dream was just a foretelling of the future.

Something in the bookshelf on her left then caught her attention. She went to check it out. There was this shiny thing on the top most part of the shelf. She tiptoed to reach it but when she touched the shiny thing she felt an eerie feeling.

It was everything she can remember before everything went black.

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A/N: Locations were taken from the comics. So what do you think about the fic? Hit **Favorite** & **Follow** if you like it and don't forget to leave a review. It will be appreciated. :3


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